Untitled (men playing baseball) 1947

Editor: This photograph, "Untitled (men playing baseball)" by John Howell, looks like a study of leisure. Given the negative image, it’s difficult to determine the process here. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see the means of image production itself foregrounded. The reversal inherent in the negative forces us to consider the photographic process, the materiality of the film, and the darkroom labor involved. The act of capturing leisure becomes labor itself, doesn't it? Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t considered how the negative itself changes our perception. Curator: Exactly. It shifts the focus from the baseball game to the means by which it’s documented, and by extension, consumed. Editor: I will definitely remember this perspective. Thanks!