Untitled (couple kissing at New Year's party) 1949

Robert Burian made this small gelatin silver print, "Untitled (couple kissing at New Year's party)," sometime in the mid-twentieth century. The beauty of gelatin silver printing lies in its capacity to capture a wide range of tones, with the image emerging from a chemical process involving light-sensitive silver halides. It was a technology that democratized image-making, enabling snapshots of everyday life. Here, the photo captures a moment of revelry, two figures locked in a New Year's kiss, surrounded by partygoers. The choice of materials – gelatin silver – is far from accidental. Unlike a painting, this photograph isn't about the singular vision of the artist, but rather a collaborative effort between the photographer, the subject, and the technology. The print immortalizes an ephemeral moment of joy, transforming a fleeting event into a lasting artifact. Ultimately, understanding the processes behind the photograph prompts questions about the social context, labor, and politics of image-making, and challenges us to appreciate the photograph not only as an aesthetic object, but as a cultural artifact.