Untitled (little girl sitting in front of mirror) c. 1950

Editor: This is an Untitled photograph by Lucian and Mary Brown, showing a little girl at a vanity. It's quite small, only about 4 by 5 inches. What strikes me is the detail captured in the negative. What does the process tell you about the Browns' artistic intentions? Curator: The material quality of the photographic negative itself is key. Its reproducibility speaks to a specific mode of production, a way of making images accessible, perhaps for mass consumption. The Browns, through their chosen medium, engage in the democratization of portraiture. Editor: So, it's not just the image, but also the means of its making that holds meaning? That gives me a lot to consider. Curator: Exactly. Thinking about the physical object and its capacity for dissemination shifts our understanding of its artistic value.