Untitled (young men in tuxedos next to car) c. 1950

Editor: This intriguing silver gelatin print, "Untitled (young men in tuxedos next to car)" by Lucian and Mary Brown, presents a world flipped on its head through inverted tones. What strikes me is the contrast between the formal attire and the ordinary street scene. What does this image reveal to you? Curator: Notice how the Browns' technique, the reversal of the photographic negative, literally inverts our expectations. The material reality of the image making process – the chemicals, the paper, the darkroom labor – are foregrounded. Editor: So, the process itself becomes part of the story? Curator: Precisely! Consider also the socio-economic implications: who had access to photography, to formal wear, to cars in the era this image evokes? What is their relationship to the means of production represented here? It's a study of material culture, wouldn’t you agree? Editor: It definitely makes you consider the scene in a new light!