Charity, Public: United States. Massachusetts. Bridgewater. State Farm: State Farm: Birds Eye View of Institution c. 1903

Curator: This is a bird's eye view photograph titled "Charity, Public: United States. Massachusetts. Bridgewater. State Farm: State Farm: Birds Eye View of Institution" by Bass Photo. Editor: It's got a desolate feel, doesn't it? The muted tones, the skeletal trees in the foreground, all leading to that rather imposing institutional complex. Curator: Yes, and the material processes involved in photography at the time also lends to that, I think. Creating this albumen print from a glass negative was labor-intensive. It highlights the social structures inherent in producing images meant for broad consumption. Editor: It makes you wonder about the lives within those walls. Is it meant to inspire hope, or just document an existing reality? Curator: The title suggests a benevolent intention, but I'm not so sure. There’s a coldness to the composition, an objective distance. Editor: Perhaps the camera captures more than intended. It reveals a certain truth. Curator: Indeed, it offers a way to reflect on how we’ve historically framed—literally and figuratively—institutions meant to care for others. Editor: And it certainly gives us something to chew on regarding the very nature of charity and our perceptions of it.