Untitled (men at desk with large bottle) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, by Peter James Studio, is titled "Untitled (men at desk with large bottle)." There's a certain mid-century Mad Men vibe, wouldn't you say? Editor: Initially, it strikes me as an unsettling tableau. The inverted tones create an eerie atmosphere, like a ghostly board meeting. Is that a shark on the wall? Curator: Yes! A very prominent shark. The composition is fascinating. A group of men, all sharply dressed, gathered around a desk with, quite prominently, a very large bottle of liquor. Is this a celebration, or something else? Editor: The display of the liquor is, indeed, suggestive. I read it as a commentary on power, privilege, and the rituals of masculinity, perhaps. The shark feels predatory, almost like a symbolic warning. Curator: Or maybe they just had a really good week and felt like posing with their favorite bottle? I love how the mundane can become something so evocative through the lens. Editor: Perhaps, but even the mundane is never neutral. Images like these reflect and perpetuate social norms, consciously or not. Something to consider, as always. Curator: Absolutely. It is a bit like looking at an artifact from another planet that’s both strangely familiar and alien.