Untitled (woman holding baby over shoulder) c. 1950

Editor: This gelatin silver print, "Untitled (woman holding baby over shoulder)" by Lucian and Mary Brown, has such a striking, almost otherworldly quality. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I am drawn to the labor inherent in its creation. The photographic process itself, the darkroom manipulations, the chemical reactions—it's a material record of production, transforming a domestic scene into something…other. Editor: Other how? Curator: Consider the accessibility of photography versus painting at the time. Who had access to these tools and materials? What stories were deemed worthy of this kind of preservation, and what does it tell us about consumption, memory, and the artists? Editor: That gives me a new way to consider photography, thank you! Curator: My pleasure.