The Brown Sisters, Harwichport, Massachusetts 1978

Nicholas Nixon made this photograph of The Brown Sisters in Harwichport, Massachusetts, using what looks like a large format camera. There’s something very methodical in the way the photo is made, with each sister captured in the same pose year after year. It’s a process of repetition and documentation. The black and white tones give a timeless quality. Each sister’s face is rendered with a similar amount of detail, so that we see the texture of their skin, the light in their eyes. Our gaze goes across each individual, and also sees the subtle changes over time. The uniformity in Nixon’s process contrasts with the natural unfolding of age and experience. I wonder, are they controlling what they wear each time to achieve this look? Looking at this, I am reminded of the conceptual photography of Bernd and Hilla Becher, who documented industrial structures with a similar sense of detachment. But here, there’s something more intimate because it’s a study of family. It invites us to consider how we perceive time, aging, and the nature of human relationships. It’s not just one picture, but a series, each building on the last. It invites an ambiguity of interpretation over time.