Untitled (woman adjusting bride's veil in room with couch and mirror) 1955 - 1957

Curator: This photo, by Martin Schweig, is simply titled "Untitled (woman adjusting bride's veil in room with couch and mirror)." Editor: It has a quiet intimacy to it, almost as if we're intruding on a very private moment. Curator: Exactly! It’s fascinating how Schweig captures the societal pressures on women, distilled into this one act. Who is this bride marrying? Is she marrying for love or for social mobility? Editor: And the photograph's materiality itself speaks to the past. It could be read through a lens of gender roles, domesticity, and the expectations placed upon women during the 20th century. The veil… Curator: A potent symbol, really. A visual metaphor for the silencing of women's voices. It does make you wonder, doesn't it? Editor: It certainly does. This image really invites us to look at the power structures embedded in seemingly simple rituals.