Untitled (class of girls in gym clothes) 1944

Curator: This intriguing photograph, currently held in the Harvard Art Museums, is titled "Untitled (class of girls in gym clothes)" by John Deusing. The exact date remains unknown. Editor: It's striking. There's a regimented quality to the composition, like a factory churning out…girls. The stark contrast in the photograph certainly emphasizes that. Curator: Precisely. The image presents a study of young women in a structured, almost institutional setting. The uniformity of the attire and the arrangement hint at the social expectations placed upon women during that time. Editor: The gymnasium itself—the backdrop—plays a crucial role here. What were the materials used in its construction, and how does the architecture reinforce societal norms surrounding physical activity and gender? Were these garments factory made? Curator: Those are valid material considerations. We have to acknowledge how those factors shaped their lives within the larger narrative of female education and social conditioning. Editor: It leaves me with a sense of both admiration and unease. Curator: A fitting response, I think, given the complex layers at play.