Untitled (street scene, children walking into hobby shop) c. 1950

Editor: This photograph, by Lester Cole, titled "Untitled (street scene, children walking into hobby shop)," is a gelatin silver print. It's quite small. I'm struck by the everyday quality of the scene. What do you see in this piece, considering its materials and how it might have been made? Curator: I notice how the silver gelatin printing process democratized photography, allowing for mass reproduction and distribution of images. This street scene then becomes a commodity, reflecting urban life. Consider the labor involved in both the creation of the photograph and the making of the goods sold in the shops depicted. Editor: So, the photograph itself is an object of labor? Curator: Precisely. And it represents the larger system of production and consumption that defines this urban landscape. What kind of exchange is taking place in the shops? And how is the act of taking this picture itself such an exchange? Editor: Interesting. So it is all interconnected by production and commerce! Thanks.