Untitled (child with doll on bed) c. 1960

Editor: This is an untitled photograph by Lucian and Mary Brown, showing a child with a doll. It feels very intimate, almost voyeuristic. What can you tell me about the social context of this image? Curator: Given the time period and the fact that it's a photograph, the image speaks to the rise of amateur photography and its role in documenting everyday life, particularly within families. How might the act of photographing a child with their doll reflect societal expectations or anxieties about childhood? Editor: It makes me think about the way we perform childhood, both for ourselves and for others. Curator: Precisely. It invites us to question the public role of private moments and how they are constructed through imagery. The doll becomes a symbol, perhaps, of innocence or even of miniature domesticity. Food for thought!