Untitled (woman baking a pie in her kitchen) 1944

Curator: This intriguing, small-scale, untitled photograph by John Deusing depicts a woman baking a pie in her kitchen. I’m immediately struck by the domesticity of the scene; it seems incredibly ordinary. Editor: Ordinary perhaps, but also deeply constructed. Consider the labor involved—the ingredients, the tools, the oven itself. This isn’t just about baking; it's about the means of production within the domestic sphere. Curator: Absolutely. And the photograph, as an object, participates in that construction. The image, now housed in the Harvard Art Museums, takes on a different valence when separated from its original context. How does its current setting affect our understanding? Editor: Exactly! Think of the social context. This image, presented in a museum, elevates the everyday labor of women. The kitchen is no longer just a space for sustenance; it's a site of artistic and economic activity. Curator: The light is fascinating, too. It almost feels staged, drawing attention to the act of baking, emphasizing it as a performance. Editor: Right! And the pie itself becomes a symbol, both of nurture and of the often-unseen work that sustains daily life. We are asked to consider not only what is depicted, but the very act of its making and its material existence. Curator: An image of simplicity that holds such complex layers of meaning. Editor: Precisely. It makes us question where we draw the line between the practical and the artistic.