The Brown Sisters, Ipswich, Massachusetts 1982

Editor: This is "The Brown Sisters, Ipswich, Massachusetts," a gelatin silver print taken by Nicholas Nixon in 1982. I find it incredibly poignant. The somberness of the black and white contrasts with the sister's proximity. What do you make of it? Curator: Isn't it fascinating? It's as if Nixon isn't just capturing their images, but rather a feeling – the very texture of sisterhood and the slow, relentless march of time. It almost feels like stealing a secret, doesn’t it? I imagine Nixon carefully setting up the large format camera, the scent of salt in the air... Do you think it reads as a candid moment? Editor: I can see that. Knowing it is one of many, I'm wondering about the artist and why this series is ongoing. Curator: Ah, exactly! It's this dedication to revisiting them year after year, stripping away artifice with that raw, black-and-white honesty, that lends the work its haunting quality. I wonder if he thought about the power in revealing their shared vulnerability over time. Do you think this specific moment feels particularly resonant or different than you might expect? Editor: Definitely. You start thinking about your own family and what changes you observe when you're with them over time. Thanks. Curator: You're so right. To ponder aging, and families changing, it truly makes the image glow, don't you think? Like the film captures that change.