Untitled (man with puppet [Deusing?] photographing young girl with doll) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have an untitled photograph by John Deusing, showing a girl holding a doll, with a man holding up a puppet. The high contrast gives it an unsettling, dreamlike quality. What do you make of it? Curator: It’s intriguing, isn’t it? The inverted tones heighten the sense of staged unreality. It reminds me of those old family photos, where everyone's trying so hard to look natural, but the artifice shines through. Is it a genuine moment, or something carefully constructed? I wonder. Editor: I see what you mean! It's like a play within a play, with the photographer and the puppet master both vying for control of the narrative. Curator: Exactly! Maybe it’s about the power dynamics inherent in representation itself. Or maybe it’s just a dad having some fun. Who can really know? Editor: It definitely gives you a lot to think about. Thanks for your insight! Curator: My pleasure! It’s always rewarding to find new layers in even the simplest-seeming images.