Untitled (four men and six women in formal wear, studio group portrait) c. 1940

Editor: This is an untitled photograph by John Deusing, showing four men and six women in formal wear. The image, a silver gelatin print, has such a ghostly feeling. What do you see in it? Curator: It’s a fascinatingly formal portrait, isn’t it? The reversal of tones definitely lends it an otherworldly air, almost like a gathering of specters. Notice how the background seems to dissolve into pure light. I wonder what the occasion was? It feels charged with anticipation, or maybe even a touch of melancholy, don't you think? Editor: Yes, the high contrast and the subjects’ solemn expressions definitely give it that feeling. Curator: I am just left to imagine their stories. A wedding? A graduation? Or something else entirely?