Untitled (Eugenie Stoll Reagan holding baby) c. 1955

Curator: Phyllis Moore Stoll’s small silver gelatin print, “Untitled (Eugenie Stoll Reagan holding baby),” hits you, doesn't it? The stark inversion of light and shadow is immediately striking. Editor: Yes, the high contrast creates an almost ethereal feel. But it also speaks to the complex, often obscured, labor of motherhood. The domestic sphere made otherworldly. Curator: Absolutely. The negative's reversal makes them glow—this mother, almost a madonna, her child, a little luminary. There's an unsettling beauty in it. Editor: And that beauty can be deceptive. What is idealized is rarely real. This image evokes the pressure placed on women to embody both strength and selflessness. Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe it's a tender moment, simply captured in a way that transcends the everyday. It feels like a memory, strangely altered. Editor: Altered by societal expectations, maybe? It's hard to separate the personal from the political, especially when the subject is motherhood. Curator: True, true. It's a poignant reminder that even seemingly simple images can hold layers of meaning, depending on who's looking. Editor: Precisely. I find that dichotomy to be a continuing source of meaning in the world.