Untitled (studio portrait of two older women wearing formal dresses and glasses) 1942

Curator: This intriguing studio portrait by Martin Schweig shows two older women formally dressed. It's part of the Harvard Art Museums' collection, though the date remains unknown. Editor: The high contrast and almost ghostly appearance give it a surreal, otherworldly mood. I'm curious about the reversed tones, which adds to the starkness. Curator: Absolutely. Considering photographic conventions and portraiture of the time, how do these women subvert or reinforce societal expectations around visibility and representation of older women? The negative image could symbolize an inversion of power, perhaps? Editor: Or perhaps, reflecting on studio photography and its history, it speaks to the artifice of constructing identity for the camera. The formal attire and posed nature clash with the inverted image. Curator: The image invites us to reconsider how photographic practices shape our understanding of identity and representation, especially within the context of gender and age. Editor: Indeed. It leaves me wondering about the narrative these women wanted to construct versus how it's been received through a contemporary lens.