Untitled (group portrait of girls with priest) 1959

Curator: John Deusing's "Untitled (group portrait of girls with priest)" presents a formal gathering. The stark reversal of tones gives it an almost ghostly quality. Editor: It feels very institutional, doesn't it? All those young girls, seemingly identical, under the watchful eye of religious authority. I wonder about the power dynamics at play. Curator: It makes you consider the role of such institutions in shaping young women's identities, doesn't it? What social expectations were being imposed? The architecture itself, with "Venite Adoremus" inscribed, seems to reinforce that. Editor: Precisely. And who was Deusing photographing for? What was the intended audience and purpose of this image? It feels like a record, but also perhaps a carefully constructed performance of piety. Curator: It definitely leaves us with more questions than answers regarding social and religious expectations. Editor: A powerful image that speaks volumes about the structures and contexts that shape lives.