Untitled (decorations on shelves) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, titled "Untitled (decorations on shelves)" by Lucian and Mary Brown, captures a curious domestic tableau. There is a figure, a rooster and a plane of some sort atop what seems to be shelves. Editor: Stark and a little unsettling. The inversion of tones lends it a ghostly quality. The shelf decorations become almost totemic. Curator: Indeed. The figure, perhaps a doll or figurine, immediately draws attention. We see symbolic weight, perhaps alluding to cultural appropriation, depending on how this figure was perceived. Editor: These objects represent a certain aspiration, reflecting the aesthetic tastes and cultural values that the residents wanted to project. It's a carefully curated image of their world. Curator: What does the rooster represent to you? Editor: Maybe the promise of a new dawn, the rising up of the community… Curator: I find the contrast between the figure and the rooster very striking. Editor: It's a glimpse into a specific time, captured through objects that held personal and social meaning.