Untitled (man and boy, radio broadcast, WMAL Columbia) c. 1920

Curator: The photographic print before us, simply titled "Untitled (man and boy, radio broadcast, WMAL Columbia)," comes from the studio of Harris & Ewing. Editor: It’s quite striking, really. The stark lighting and high contrast lend it a somewhat unsettling, almost spectral quality. Curator: The image shows a man and a young boy seated at a table with a WMAL Columbia microphone. The materiality of the image – the photographic paper, the developing process – speaks to the rise of mass media and broadcast. Editor: I'm intrigued by the social dynamic here. The boy is formally dressed. The image evokes a sense of staged authenticity, reflecting radio's growing role in constructing a public image. Curator: Precisely. Note the studio setting itself: the visible radiator, the drapery, all signifying a constructed environment for the broadcast of voices and ideas. Editor: The photograph’s strength lies in how it captures the historical moment of radio's integration into both domestic and public life. Curator: Indeed. It is a powerful document concerning the mediation of information.