Untitled (people outside at tables during party) c. 1950

Editor: This photographic print, "Untitled (people outside at tables during party)" by Lucian and Mary Brown, shows a gathering. The negative effect is striking, highlighting the figures in an almost spectral way. What can you tell us about the scene? Curator: I see an uncredited record of leisure and social relations. The labor required to stage this event, the cost of the materials—the furniture, the attire, the photographic supplies—all point to a specific class and their means of consumption and display. What's normalized here? Editor: It's interesting to think about what's not shown, like the labor that sustains this lifestyle. Curator: Precisely. The image is less about the party itself, and more about the system that enables it. Perhaps we should reflect on what we bring to the image too?