Untitled (family portrait in studio) c. 1945

Curator: Here we have John Deusing's "Untitled (family portrait in studio)," currently residing in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My first impression is one of staged formality, but the photographic negative adds an unsettling, ghostly air. Curator: The lack of a firm date complicates its placement, yet the subjects' attire—the sharp suits, tailored dresses, and military uniform—suggest a mid-20th-century American context, perhaps during wartime. Editor: I’m drawn to the materiality of the photograph itself. The stark contrast emphasizes the process, almost making the figures feel like they are emerging from the chemicals used to make them, highlighting labor and production. Curator: The staging is deliberate. How does the artist portray social roles and status here? Note the seated figure; is it a matriarchal figure in a position of power? Editor: Perhaps. Or is the seating itself a material constraint, a means to structure the composition within the limitations of early photographic technology? Curator: A compelling read. The interplay between posed respectability and photographic artifice invites endless questions. Editor: Indeed. It challenges our expectations and reminds us of the constructed nature of memory and representation.