Untitled (baby lying on countertop) c. 1948

Editor: This is an Untitled photograph by Lucian and Mary Brown, showing a baby on a countertop. The negative image makes it a bit eerie, but I'm struck by how mundane the setting is – right next to a washing machine. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: The photograph is fascinating when considered as a record of labor. What does it say about domestic work, childcare, and the photographic process itself as labor? The materiality of the darkroom and the act of capturing this scene are essential considerations. Editor: So, it’s about the unseen work that goes into making a home and an image? Curator: Precisely. The Browns present a domestic scene as a site of production, challenging notions of photography as solely high art. This image documents a very specific time and place. Editor: I never considered the making of an image as labor before. Curator: Exactly! Think about the chemicals, the light, the paper...