Untitled (scowling man in profile) n.d.

Editor: This black and white photograph is an Untitled work by Walker Evans. It captures a man in profile, with a noticeable scowl. What strikes me is the raw texture of the print and the everyday scene it depicts. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Considering its probable origin in Evans’s street photography, I see a study of the means of photographic production meeting the social context of its subjects. Look at the materiality of their clothes, hinting at economic realities. How does the photographic process itself contribute to our understanding of labor and class here? Editor: So, the very act of taking the photo and the materials used are as important as the image itself? That's a different way to look at it! Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to consider the means by which the image was produced and the social implications inherent in that process.