Untitled (3/4 portrait of a man in a three piece suit) 1925

Editor: This is an untitled photographic portrait by Hamblin Studio, it doesn't have a known date. The stark contrast really stood out to me. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Let’s consider this photographic negative as a unique object, a record of a specific material process. The suit itself speaks to class and status via the labor of its making. Think about the social context of photographic portraiture at the time it was produced. Editor: So, you are thinking about who made the materials and how the subject might use the photograph to project social standing? Curator: Precisely. We should consider the economic and social implications embedded in the photographic process and its subjects. Editor: I never thought about portraiture like that before! Thanks.