Untitled (several turkeys) c. 1950

Curator: This silver gelatin print, credited to Lucian and Mary Brown, shows a gathering of turkeys. The print itself is quite small, only about 3 by 4 inches. Editor: It has a ghostly quality, doesn’t it? Stark and almost ominous. The stark contrast between the turkeys and the inky black background evokes a sense of mystery. Curator: The high contrast does obscure detail, certainly. But consider the materials themselves—silver gelatin. That process speaks to a specific period and technique, a tangible record of photographic processes available to them. Editor: And the turkey as symbol! Think of its fraught history in American iconography—from Thanksgiving celebrations to its place in popular culture. What statements could this image make about the labor of food? Curator: I find it fascinating how the medium flattens the subject, almost reducing them to silhouettes defined by light and shadow; this image might point to our complicated relationship with nature. Editor: Definitely food for thought. Curator: Indeed. The humble turkey, made otherworldly through silver and gelatin.