Untitled (children posing on staircase) 1965

Curator: This photograph, simply titled "Untitled (children posing on staircase)" by Lucian and Mary Brown, immediately strikes me with its stark contrasts. Editor: The high contrast gives it a rather unsettling, almost ghostly atmosphere. The composition, though, with the staircase acting as a strong diagonal, is quite dynamic. Curator: Precisely. And the image is an inverse. I'm intrigued by the choice of inverting the typical photographic process. What did that say about the labor involved in its production? This disrupts our expectation of the domestic scene. Editor: Interesting point. Formally, inverting the tones throws the values into disarray. It defamiliarizes the image, making us reconsider what we're seeing. The pattern on the banister is especially odd. Curator: It reminds us of the constructed nature of photography. How it documents but also alters the world. Editor: Ultimately, it's a compelling visual puzzle. Curator: I agree; this challenges our notions of family portraits.