Mary Thayer c. 1900

Editor: This is a cyanotype photograph titled "Mary Thayer" made around 1900. It's a striking blue image with a group of children, maybe at play. The medium itself gives the photo a dreamlike or nostalgic feel. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Beyond the immediate charm of childhood captured in a historical photograph, I see a reflection of the intersectional complexities of the turn of the century. Cyanotypes were accessible, weren’t they? What social class might the Thayer family have belonged to? Editor: Probably middle class, I would guess? It doesn’t seem like a technique for the wealthy or professional photographers. Curator: Exactly. And considering the era, how does race factor into this narrative? Whose stories were being documented and whose were being systematically erased or distorted through the dominant photographic gaze? Does this photograph subvert or reinforce that? The clothing seems to give them certain distinction, don’t you agree? Editor: I hadn’t really thought about it like that, to be honest. I was just looking at it as a nice, old-timey photo. Thinking about it now, though, that blue tone…it’s kind of melancholic, considering who was being excluded from photographic portraiture. I now realize its social statement of capturing everyday childhood moments within a specific socio-economic background in history, reflecting certain social disparities. Thank you! Curator: Precisely. By examining even seemingly simple images through the lenses of social and political context, we can challenge our initial perceptions and engage with art on a deeper level.