Untitled (woman demonstrating iron) c. 1950

This photograph by Robert Burian captures a woman demonstrating an iron. It's a gelatin silver print, a process that was well-established by the time this image was made. What is interesting here, is that the iron and the clothes are not treated as neutral objects. Consider the social context that surrounds this picture. The image presents a narrative about women and labor, suggesting that women's work in the domestic sphere is to be proudly displayed. The making of clothing, its maintenance, and its presentation involves extensive processes, from the cultivation of raw materials like cotton, to the spinning and weaving, the cutting and sewing, and finally the pressing and folding. Each of these steps relies upon an industrial mode of production, and each bears the mark of human labor, especially that of women. When we focus on materials, making, and context, we can see how this photograph speaks to wider issues of class, labor, and consumption, challenging the traditional separation between fine art and craft.