Untitled (family portrait) c. 1950

Curator: This is an "Untitled (family portrait)" by Lainson Studios, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It measures about 13 by 10 1/2 inches. Editor: It has such a staged, formal feel. Everyone is so carefully positioned, even the dog! It's a fascinating snapshot of a certain kind of domestic ideal. Curator: Precisely. Family portraits like this served a critical social function. They were aspirational objects, carefully constructed to project an image of stability and success. Note the bookcase backdrop, suggesting intellectualism. Editor: And the matching outfits suggest conformity, but who is this portrait for? Is this for them, or for others to look at? Curator: Well, photography studios gained prominence in the 20th century by marketing accessibility, democratizing portraiture. What was once reserved for the elite became a middle-class aspiration. Editor: Yes, but even in its accessibility, it reinforces a specific image of normalcy and family structure, subtly excluding those who don't fit that mold. It tells you what a family should look like. Curator: Indeed, it makes you wonder about who is missing. Still, seeing the visual rhetoric of the time offers such a compelling lens into societal norms. Editor: It does. Portraits like this really show us the politics of presentation, and how families perform their identities.