Untitled (baby sitting up in small bath tub) c. 1950

Editor: This photograph, "Untitled (baby sitting up in small bath tub)" by Lucian and Mary Brown, is quite striking. The inverted tones give it an eerie feeling, and the ordinary subject matter becomes…unsettling. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a focus on the labor inherent in the photographic process itself. Note the Kodak stamp along the edge. The materiality of the film, the chemicals used in development, the means of production and reproduction – these are as important as the ostensible subject. Editor: So, you're saying the process is the point, almost more than the baby itself? Curator: Precisely. And consider the social context. Who owned a camera? Who had the means to develop film? This image isn't just a snapshot; it's a record of access, class, and the consumption of photographic materials. Editor: That’s a perspective I hadn’t considered. I was too focused on the subject. Curator: The materiality pulls our eyes away from the common subject and allows us to look at access of photographic images. Editor: It's fascinating to think about the layers of meaning embedded in the materials themselves!