Untitled (guests chatting near food table at Christmas ball) 1960

Curator: Martin Schweig captured this intriguing scene, "Untitled (guests chatting near food table at Christmas ball)." It's a silver gelatin print, measuring about 4 by 5 inches, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: My first thought? Eerie elegance. The reversed tones give it a ghostly glow, like a memory half-forgotten. Are those Christmas decorations? Curator: Indeed. Note how Santa looms large behind the partygoers. He represents not just holiday cheer, but the cultural weight of gift-giving, consumerism, and perhaps even childhood innocence, all swirling amidst this social gathering. Editor: You know, it also reminds me of those uncanny family photos you find tucked away. The flash freezes everyone in these strange poses. A moment of forced joy...or maybe something else entirely? Curator: Precisely. Schweig's choice to invert the tones invites us to question the very nature of these celebratory rituals and how they’re captured and remembered. Editor: It's like he's peeled back the veneer of holiday cheer to reveal the undercurrents of social performance. Now that's a Christmas card I'd send!