Untitled (children playing blind man's bluff) c. 1950

Curator: This photographic print, whose creation is attributed to Lucian and Mary Brown, presents children engaged in a game of blind man's bluff. Editor: It's eerie, isn't it? The stark contrast and the children's obscured faces give it a strangely unsettling feel, like a memory fading. Curator: The game itself is quite old; variations appear in numerous cultures. It's interesting to consider how play, even in a seemingly simple game, reflects social dynamics and perhaps, anxieties. Editor: Blindfolds are very symbolic. They represent not just the game here, but also ignorance, vulnerability, and perhaps a sort of forced innocence. The group dynamic adds to it - who gets chosen, who is left out? Curator: Indeed. And consider the context – a time when childhood was increasingly romanticized, yet also subject to stricter forms of social control. This image captures that tension, that duality of freedom and constraint. Editor: It leaves me wondering what kind of childhood they experienced, and what these children might have believed in.