Untitled (man on couch holding baby) c. 1950

Curator: This silver gelatin print, "Untitled (man on couch holding baby)" is credited to Lucian and Mary Brown. Look at the textures of the striped wallpaper and the plush sofa! Editor: There's something so intimate and yet unsettling about this image, like a memory glimpsed through fog. The figures seem to glow! Curator: Yes, the photograph is a negative, which certainly affects our perception. Consider the darkroom practices involved in producing this kind of family portrait. Editor: It's like they are caught between worlds, this baby and the man holding it. I wonder what stories this image holds… or hides? Curator: It's compelling to consider the collaborative nature of this work; the division of labor, the economic realities of a family photography business. Editor: It makes you think about passing on legacies. I like how a simple snapshot can blossom into something deeper.