“When the Cat’s Alone” captures not only a playful diversion in everyday life but also a moment from Olaf Christoffersen’s working life at Kværner Brug in Christiania. Surrounded by workplace objects like a clear “CHEESE” sign and a packet of “Frigg Oatmeal” – recognizable elements of early 20th-century work culture – the cat sits as the ruler of its little kingdom. This photograph seizes the essence of daily life at a workplace, offering a rare glimpse into the more personal and informal aspects of industrial labor during the interwar period.

Technical Details: With sharp focus on the foreground antics, and the soft background of kitchen things, "When the Cat's Alone" from 1924 demonstrates Christoffersen's skills with depth of field and detail reproduction. Although the image may seem straightforward at first glance, the composition's balance and light treatment are carefully considered, showing his ability to create a scene that is as aesthetically pleasing as it is atmospheric. Here we also see possible use of darkroom techniques such as dodging and burning to enhance the cat's fur and kitchen details, adding extra warmth and character to the image. The size of the image at 4816×6952 pixels shows an extraordinary attention to detail.

Format: TIFF

Size: 200,9 mb

Resolution: 4816×6952

DPI: 300

Color Model: RGB

Color Sync: Adobe RGB (1998)

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