Untitled (young man and woman as king and queen) 1948

Robert Burian made this gelatin silver print of a young couple playing King and Queen. The photographic process is central here: the gelatin emulsion, spread thinly on the paper's surface, captures light and shadow, recording a staged reality. Photographs like this one were typically produced in studios. What makes this image interesting is that it’s a negative. It allows us to see the material reality of photography, the chemistry that enables the photograph to be produced and reproduced, circulated, and consumed. This photo then, is not just a record of a young couple playing royalty. It also subtly reveals the economic relationships that photography has always been tied to, and the power dynamics inherent in portraiture. It reminds us that every image is the result of material transformation, labor, and social context.