Untitled (family portrait, parents and baby) 1962

Editor: This is an untitled family portrait by Lucian and Mary Brown. Even as a photographic negative, the subjects seem so full of life! What strikes you about it? Curator: It's funny how the reversal of light and dark adds this almost ghostly quality, isn't it? Yet, there's a sweetness here. It’s a window into a very specific moment. I wonder what they were thinking about. Editor: Maybe anxieties about the future, or just the daily grind? Curator: Perhaps. Or maybe just hoping the little one wouldn’t spit up before the shutter clicked! It's a charming memento, whether intentional or not.