Untitled (women looking into mirror) c. 1966

This photograph by Robert Burian captures women looking into a mirror and was made using photographic film. The image, a reversed negative, shows the material capacity of film to capture moments, to freeze and invert reality. The mirror becomes a portal into the rituals of beauty and self-presentation. We see three women, each engaged in their own act of preparation, with hairspray, make-up and fashion accessories. These everyday objects, so readily available in the age of mass production, speak to the democratization of style and the allure of consumer culture. But there's a tension here, too. The image prompts us to think about labor; the immense work involved in both the production of these goods and the personal effort to achieve the idealized image of modern femininity. As such, the photograph shows the intersection of commerce, consumption, and identity, captured in a fleeting moment and forever imprinted on film.