Untitled (Eugenie Stoll in formal gown) c. 1940

Editor: This is an untitled photograph of Eugenie Stoll in a formal gown by C. Bennette Moore. The negative image gives it an ethereal, almost dreamlike quality. How do you interpret this work within its historical context? Curator: This photograph, with its dramatic reversal of light, challenges conventional portraiture of the time. The artistic choices made in presenting a society figure this way reflect a broader shift in how photography could be used as a form of artistic expression, rather than simple documentation. The sitter's presentation, therefore, begs the question: does this aesthetic choice reinforce or subvert existing social power dynamics? Editor: That's interesting! It never occurred to me how it fits into the social context. Curator: Indeed. Thinking about how this image would have been received and understood reveals much about the public role of art and the politics embedded within seemingly simple portraits.