Untitled (people eating at party) c. 1950

Editor: This is an untitled black and white photograph by Lucian and Mary Brown, showing people at a party. The negative aesthetic makes it a bit eerie, but it also emphasizes the textures, especially the tablecloth. What stands out to you? Curator: For me, it’s about the means of production. The photographic process itself, the darkroom labor, and the materiality of the print. I would consider: what kind of camera? What does the negative's reversal of light and shadow reveal about the social context of this gathering? Is this documentation or art? Editor: So it is less about the gathering and more about the creation of the image itself? Curator: Precisely. By focusing on the production, we can question the high/low art binary often found in photography. Editor: Interesting! I never thought about that with photos. Curator: Thinking materially always broadens the picture.