Untitled (bridal portrait) c. 1920s

Editor: Here we have an untitled bridal portrait by Martin Schweig. It’s a photograph, sepia-toned, and the bride's satin dress has such a lovely sheen. What can you tell me about this image? Curator: I notice the labor involved: the making of the dress, the pose held for the camera, the photographer's process. How does the material aspect – the satin, the photographic chemicals – shape our understanding of marriage as a social construct of the time? Editor: That's a very interesting perspective. I was so focused on the subject, I hadn't considered the labor embedded in the image. Curator: Exactly! Seeing the image through the lens of production changes everything, doesn't it?