Untitled (boys in back of car with dead deer) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled work by Lucian and Mary Brown, showing boys in the back of a car with a dead deer. It's a gelatin silver print, only about 4 by 5 inches. Editor: It's stark. The reversed tones give it a ghostly quality, and the subject matter is… jarring. The deer almost looks like it’s part of the car. Curator: These images reflect a very specific culture of hunting and masculinity, particularly in the rural South where the Browns lived and worked. The act of hunting was a rite of passage. Editor: The tools on display highlight the means to produce this particular image and also what is on display in the image, like the rifle. It makes you think about the labor involved, the animal's sacrifice and the consumption of nature itself. Curator: Absolutely, and photographs like this were often intended to document and celebrate these traditions. They reflect a complex relationship between humans and the natural world, and power dynamics. Editor: It definitely leaves you with a lot to think about regarding our relationship with nature. Curator: Indeed, and how those relationships are mediated through culture and images.