Untitled (family portrait) 1938

Editor: This is an untitled family portrait by Hamblin Studio. The photographic negative renders a ghostly effect. What can we say about the social context of family portraits during this time? Curator: Family portraits like this, likely early 20th century, reflected a desire for social representation and permanence. The formal attire and posed nature speak to a certain performativity of family identity, shaped by bourgeois values. What does the studio setting imply? Editor: It suggests photography was becoming more accessible but still a deliberate act, constructing a public image. I never considered how photography could "perform" identity. Curator: Exactly. It makes you think about how social aspirations shaped artistic choices, doesn't it? Editor: Absolutely, seeing it as a social construction adds so much depth.