Untitled (two couples in formal wear, studio portrait) c. 1940

Curator: This intriguing photograph, taken by John Deusing, is currently titled "Untitled (two couples in formal wear, studio portrait)." Editor: It has the feel of an inverted memory, like a dream fading into stark light. Curator: Precisely! The photograph's reversal really alters our perception. Notice the recurring symbolism of pairs, perhaps signifying kinship and partnership. Editor: Those floral bouquets held by the women—almost shields—are fascinating. Do you think they speak to a specific ritual, or perhaps a secret language? Curator: It's hard to say for sure, but flowers often act as markers of important events, as emblems of beauty but also of ephemerality. Editor: It’s funny how this ghostly image seems to be both incredibly present and profoundly absent at the same time. Curator: Indeed, and that very tension is what makes it so compelling.