Untitled (boy sitting on brick wall) c. 1950

Editor: This is an intriguing black and white photograph by Lucian and Mary Brown, simply titled "Untitled (boy sitting on brick wall)." The boy seems to be fiddling with his shoelaces. What strikes me is the everydayness of the scene; what do you see? Curator: The negative form emphasizes the photographic process itself. What kind of labor went into this image? We must consider the cost and accessibility of photography in this era to understand who had the means to produce such an image, and for what purpose. Editor: So, the image's value lies not just in the subject, but in its production and consumption within a particular social context? Curator: Precisely. It makes you wonder about the subjects' class, and how this medium might play into their identity.