Untitled (portrait, woman, large fur collar, beret) c. 1930

Editor: This is an untitled portrait by Harris & Ewing, roughly 10 by 8 inches. The texture of the fur collar and the fabric of the beret really stand out. How can we interpret it? Curator: Look closely at the photographic process itself. The emulsion, the paper, the darkroom labor – these are all crucial. Consider the fur: what does its presence tell us about access, consumption, and the social status of the sitter? Editor: So, it's less about who she is and more about what the image *means* within a system of production and consumption? Curator: Exactly. How does the photograph, as a commodity, participate in these social structures? Thinking this way really challenges traditional notions of artistic value. Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. It shifts the focus from the individual to the broader societal implications. Curator: Precisely. Now, consider other portraits. How are those images commodified and consumed?