War Theme c. 1940

Editor: This is Barbara Morgan's "War Theme," from around 1940. It’s a photograph, and I’m struck by how the swirling fabric seems both protective and constricting. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a potent engagement with materiality in the face of historical crisis. Consider the labor involved in creating this dramatic dress, its possible sources and social sphere of consumers; then we may investigate the relationship between haute couture and mass production of war materials during that era. How did Morgan manipulate photographic materials to amplify these ideas? Editor: So, you’re saying the dress itself and its representation in the photo are connected to the broader context of labor and the war? Curator: Precisely. Morgan, though operating within artistic circles, was undoubtedly aware of the war economy. The "War Theme" then raises questions about value— the value of artistic labor versus industrial production, and the ways these spheres intertwine. Are we looking at resistance through material critique? Editor: That's a totally fresh perspective. I hadn’t considered the dress as anything other than expressive, but now it's obvious how loaded material culture becomes during war time. What do you think of that odd vertical edge where the model seems to emerge? Is this something you also see at play with mass production? Curator: That strange composition reinforces the idea of fragmented identities, of individuals consumed by larger economic and historical forces. And the material process she’s capturing. The print itself becomes an artifact of production. What, though, of our own act of ‘consuming’ this image now? Editor: It makes me consider my position, yes, complicit. I appreciate how thinking about materials shifts our perspective of this photo and highlights hidden connections to society. Curator: Indeed. It moves us from passive viewers to active participants in understanding the complexities of art and history.