Untitled (young and middle aged men with fake moustaches posing with woman in front of fake horse at New Year's party) 1952

Curator: This photograph by Martin Schweig, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, captures a New Year's party scene. It's titled "Untitled (young and middle aged men with fake moustaches posing with woman in front of fake horse at New Year's party)." Editor: My first impression is that it’s staged but there is an underlying uncanniness—a sort of forced festivity. Curator: It speaks to the constructed nature of social rituals. The fake mustaches and the cardboard horse become props in a performance of celebration, almost a parody of upper-class leisure. Editor: Exactly. I’m curious about the material reality behind this "performance." What kind of paper or cardboard was used for the horse? Was it mass-produced, or handmade? The production of such props says so much about the values placed on handcrafted items. Curator: Well, the choice of a photograph as the medium itself reveals an interesting dynamic. Was this meant for public consumption or private memory? It makes you wonder how people wanted to be seen during this time. Editor: I see your point. It makes me wonder about the unseen labor involved in such events, and how these performances are consumed and internalized. Curator: It certainly gives us a glimpse into the complex social dynamics at play. Editor: Definitely, the photograph’s materiality and the scene itself reveal the staged nature of celebration, but also the effort that goes into creating it.