Untitled (woman and two girls in matching dresses standing outside) c. 1950

Editor: This black and white photograph, attributed to Lucian and Mary Brown, shows a woman and two girls in matching dresses. The family is standing in front of a large tree. What story do you think this image tries to tell? Curator: The matching dresses and the setting suggest a staged image, perhaps related to cultural expectations of femininity and family unity. The lack of a specific date, however, allows for broader readings. How does this image make you reflect on gender and representation? Editor: I guess I never thought about it from that perspective! It seems like they wanted to project a specific image of themselves. Curator: Exactly. Photography has historically been used both to document and to construct identities. This image may tell us as much about the social pressures of the time as it does about this particular family.