Untitled (school football team with coach) 1939

Editor: This photograph by Harris & Ewing shows a football team with their coach. I’m struck by the stark contrast and the texture of the clothes. How does the photographic process inform our understanding of the subject here? Curator: Given the likely date, it's probably a gelatin silver print. This process, more than earlier ones, allowed for mass reproduction and dissemination of images. Consider its impact on shaping public perceptions of sports, labor, and even masculinity. Editor: That makes sense. The photograph flattens the players into types while seemingly celebrating their profession. Curator: Exactly. And what labor went into staging and taking this image? And what about the subsequent consumption of such images in newspapers and yearbooks? These are all things to think about. Editor: I never considered how the consumption of the image is part of its meaning. Thanks for the new perspective! Curator: My pleasure, together we can understand images as products of a certain time.