Untitled (Pelican and man seated by water) c. 1920s

Editor: This is an intriguing gelatin-silver print from the 1920s, simply titled "Untitled (Pelican and man seated by water)" by an anonymous artist. The blurry pelican in the foreground immediately grabs your attention, almost obscuring the man beside the water. How do you read the use of that photographic process here, with its limitations and possibilities? Curator: Well, let's think about what a gelatin-silver print meant in the 1920s. It was a readily reproducible and affordable method. Given the subject matter, could this be a mass-produced postcard? How does its function as a potential commodity alter our perception? Editor: Interesting! I hadn't considered its potential commercial application. It feels quite unique because of the strange motion blur. But are you suggesting it isn't necessarily a fine art print due to the process used? Curator: I am asking us to consider where its value lies. The content—man, pelican, seaside setting – suggests everyday life. The blurry foreground is more prominent. Does it mean something if the manufacturer wasn’t successful at capturing detail in this moment? Were they discarding prints with ‘errors’? In which case is it of use to study the ones that exist today and how many made it? Editor: I see what you're getting at – looking at it through the lens of production and distribution rather than pure artistic intention. I’m shifting from seeing it just as a composition and thinking of it instead as evidence of photographic practice and culture at the time. Curator: Precisely. By understanding the industrial means behind the image, we gain insights into its cultural significance beyond mere aesthetics. Editor: It definitely offers a different way of looking at photographs! Thanks. Curator: My pleasure. Every object contains a social history.