Untitled (album of two infants) c. 1930

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Martin Schweig, part of an album featuring two infants. The image, roughly 7 1/2 by 9 3/4 inches, is held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It’s incredibly charming. They seem so cheerful, almost mischievous, sitting there together. It evokes a certain nostalgia. Curator: The materiality of this photograph itself plays a role here; the physical print, the darkroom processes, and the labor involved in creating and preserving this family memory. Editor: Absolutely. But think about the social context too. The photograph normalizes the nuclear family, representing a specific ideal, and perhaps excludes other family structures of the time. It seems so staged, so mannered. Curator: Indeed. It's a fabricated reality presented as objective truth, but the value lies in the process and its enduring presence. Editor: It makes me think about how family photographs can both document and shape our identities. Curator: A potent reminder of the power of visual media to both document and construct our understanding of the world. Editor: A thought-provoking lens through which to consider broader questions of representation and identity.