Untitled (two women chatting at edge of pool with others in background) 1957

Editor: This silver gelatin print by Martin Schweig shows two women in conversation by a pool, with others swimming and relaxing nearby. The inverted tones give it an unsettling, almost dreamlike quality. What's your take on this image? Curator: The image evokes mid-century leisure, but the reversed tones disrupt that initial impression. It makes you consider the constructed nature of that leisure, how the "American Dream" was often an illusion, even a nightmare, for many excluded from such scenes. How does it make you feel about the public role of photography? Editor: It definitely makes me think about whose stories get told and how, and who is left out of the frame. Thanks, that gives me a lot to consider. Curator: Indeed, it’s a reminder to question the narrative and look beyond the surface of seemingly simple images.