Untitled ("Mother Visits White House") 1971

Editor: So, here we have Donald Blumberg’s "Untitled ('Mother Visits White House')". It's a photograph, of course, but it's like, a photo *of* a photo, a newspaper clipping actually. The grainy texture gives it this really melancholic vibe. What jumps out at you? Curator: It's a ghost of an image, isn’t it? Nixon, beaming, surrounded by these "Gold Star" mothers. The banality of the photo-op clashes violently with the immense grief implied. The image is literally fading, like memory itself. I find myself wondering about the mothers' inner lives at that moment – performing patriotism while privately shattered. What a chilling contrast. Editor: Yeah, that tension is really powerful. I hadn't thought about that performance aspect. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure. It's a work that lingers, I think, precisely because of that unease.