Untitled (portrait of bride and groom) c. 1945

Curator: Here we have an intriguing image, an untitled portrait of a bride and groom by Durette Studio. Editor: It’s so stark! The inverted tones give it an otherworldly feel, like peering into a memory. Curator: The photographic process itself, this reversal from negative to print, plays with ideas of absence and presence, doesn't it? Consider the labor in studio portraiture at the time; it was a deliberate and staged affair, a carefully constructed image of social roles. Editor: Absolutely. It's funny, but looking at the couple, I wonder what became of them. Did they grow old together, or was this carefully constructed image all that remained? Curator: Exactly, the photograph becomes a commodity, representing aspirations and societal expectations, almost like a transaction. Editor: This makes you think about the ephemerality of it all. Curator: Indeed, a somber reminder about the layers beneath the surface of a simple photograph.