Untitled (carrying the bride over the threshold) 1954

Editor: This photograph by John Deusing, "Untitled (carrying the bride over the threshold)," presents the wedding tradition in a rather ghostly light. What is striking to you about the symbolism at play here? Curator: The inverted tones immediately disrupt the expected joy, don't they? The threshold, in many cultures, marks a transition—birth, death, marriage. Here, it's rendered almost spectral, suggesting not just a beginning, but perhaps the anxieties, the unknowns, inherent in such a monumental step. Editor: Anxieties? The church in the background and the wedding veil seem like hopeful symbols. Curator: Indeed. But consider the inversion. What does it mean to subvert these symbols? Is it a critique, a questioning, or perhaps an acknowledgement of the weight these traditions carry? What do you make of their obscured faces? Editor: That is true. I suppose it highlights both the promise and apprehension woven into the ritual of marriage itself. Thank you. Curator: My pleasure. It's a potent reminder that images are never simply celebrations; they are also carriers of complex cultural narratives.