Bald Eagle, St. Louis 1965

Curator: This gelatin silver print by Martin Schweig, titled "Bald Eagle, St. Louis," is a striking study in contrasts. It is about 35 by 28 centimeters. What's your immediate reaction? Editor: It feels…raw. The eagle's open beak and intense gaze communicate a primal scream. What kind of darkroom magic yielded such clarity? Curator: The bald eagle, of course, is a loaded symbol, particularly in the U.S., representing freedom and power. I wonder if Schweig was playing with that iconic status. Editor: Or perhaps critiquing it? The stark black and white emphasizes the material reality of the bird—its feathers, its beak, the very textures that make it what it is. Curator: It’s a potent reminder of how symbols are always grounded in physical realities. Editor: And how those realities are shaped by the means used to represent them. It gives one pause.