Domestic Symphony c. 1919 - 1929

Margaret Watkins made this gelatin silver print, Domestic Symphony, at an undetermined date. I see eggs and a cloth and a sink—so domestic!—but the black and white tonality is not quite representational. I think about Watkins thinking about Edward Weston, and about the way his peppers are also portraits. I wonder if Watkins was also thinking about turning everyday objects into portraits—maybe of the sink, the eggs, the cloth? It's interesting how she gets us to think of these objects as more than just things. The sink's curving form takes up half the picture plane—it almost looks like a body. It looms large. The cloth hangs down. There's a lot of dark shadow which gives a sense of drama and weight. All of it to turn seeing into feeling. What a challenge for Watkins to work in a still life! And still make it so suggestive and alive.