This small original snapshot captures a remarkable moment in early 20th-century photography: a young woman in midair, her body extended horizontally in an athletic or theatrical pose. The subject is dressed in a light, sleeveless garment suggestive of gym attire or dance costume, and appears to float effortlessly against a dark leafy backdrop. The image is sharply timed, creating the striking impression of levitation. The clarity of the woman’s face and the blur of her extended legs emphasizes the spontaneous and dynamic nature of the photograph. This kind of candid action shot was technically challenging to achieve with cameras of the period.
 
Snapshot photograph, gelatin silver print, printed on period photographic paper with a deckle edge border. Small-format private photographs of this style were often taken with amateur cameras such as Kodak folding or box models.
 
Technique
Process: Gelatin silver print on fiber-based photographic paper.
Image Quality: Good tonal contrast and detail in the figure, slight motion blur consistent with the fast movement.
Presentation: Unmounted; original deckle-cut edges characteristic of the 1920s–1930s snapshot aesthetic.
 
Photographer
Anonymous; no studio or maker’s marks. Likely an amateur or family photographer capturing a recreational moment.
 
Estimated Dimensions
Overall size: 7.5 × 6 cm (2.95 × 2.36 in) including border.
Image area: Slightly smaller, framed within the deckle edges.
 
Date
Circa 1930, based on:
The clothing style (short athletic romper).
The paper stock and deckle-edge format typical of European and American snapshots from the interwar period.
 
Condition
Surface: Very clean with minimal handling wear.
Edges: Intact deckle border; one minor corner crease lower left.
Reverse: (Assumed blank, pending inspection).
Overall: A well-preserved, charming example of early snapshot photography capturing dynamic movement.