Untitled (Woodward Casket Co. building room) 1930

Editor: This photograph by Hamblin Studio shows a room in the Woodward Casket Co. building. It’s stark and eerie, almost like a stage set. What can you tell me about the social context surrounding images like this? Curator: The image is a fascinating document of industrial history, but also the cultural history of death. Consider the public presentation of mourning; how did companies like Woodward shape and cater to societal expectations around death and remembrance through the design of these caskets and spaces? Editor: It’s interesting to think about how the aesthetics of death are manufactured and marketed. Curator: Exactly! And how images like this, often hidden from public view, become powerful historical artifacts.