Untitled (postmortem portrait of a man) c. 1940

Editor: Here we have an untitled photograph—a postmortem portrait of a man—by John Deusing. The image is quite stark. What do you see in it? Curator: A stillness, wouldn't you say? Death, captured—made somehow… intimate. The man looks peaceful, almost dignified. The negative space amplifies the gravity, turning our gaze inward, inviting reflection on mortality itself. Doesn't it strike you as odd, the human need to record even this? Editor: It is strange, but also tender. I guess we all want to be remembered. It makes me think about how photography can freeze a moment, even the last one. Thank you, that was insightful.