Untitled (couple dancing in hallway) c. 1950

This is a photographic print by Robert Burian, made using gelatin silver printing on paper. The nature of photography is that it captures a moment in time, but here, the process of photographic image-making is particularly important. The artist has chosen to present the photo as a negative image, reversing the tones and giving the image a ghostly quality. The print is small, only 9 by 6 centimeters, which draws our attention to the way it was made: the darkroom processes involved in developing the film and printing the image. The choice of printing with gelatin silver gives the print a particular tonal range and surface quality that speaks to the history of photography as a technology. The significance of materials and making encourages us to consider the social context of this artwork. It allows us to consider photography not just as a means of capturing reality, but as a medium with its own rich history and cultural associations, blurring the lines between fine art and craft.