Untitled (portrait of a deceased man) 1945 - 1949

Editor: This is an untitled photographic print by John Deusing. It depicts a deceased man. It's striking how the negative image almost aestheticizes death. What can you tell us about its context? Curator: This work presents a fascinating example of how photography intersects with social practices around death and mourning. Before the widespread use of photography, death masks and painted portraits were common. With photography, images became a more accessible way to remember the deceased. How does this accessibility change the cultural meaning of death? Editor: It makes death less abstract, more real for the masses perhaps? I never considered the democratization of death imagery! Curator: Exactly. The politics of imagery are always at play, influencing how we perceive events and shape our understanding of reality. The accessibility of this photographic imagery impacts our collective memory of death. Editor: That's a really interesting point. I’ll definitely be thinking about this differently now.