Untitled (portrait of two people saluting beside cannon) c. 1940

Curator: This is an untitled photographic negative by John Deusing, showcasing two figures in what appears to be military garb, standing beside a cannon. Editor: There's a certain unsettling clarity in this inverted image, almost ghostly. The cannon looms, yet the salute feels… ambivalent, considering the context. Curator: The process of creating a negative itself is interesting. Consider the material transformations involved—light interacting with sensitized emulsion on a glass plate, and the photographer's labor in the darkroom. How does the negative's materiality shift our understanding of photographic reproduction and its relationship to power? Editor: Indeed, and beyond that, we must consider the narrative implied. Who are these men? What conflict are they participating in? The salute, a gesture of respect and obedience, becomes complicated when viewed through the lens of war and its sociopolitical implications. Curator: It compels us to investigate the social and economic circumstances that made such a photograph possible, while acknowledging the labor that shaped its creation. Editor: Absolutely. It's a stark reminder that even seemingly simple images are deeply embedded in complex power structures.