Untitled (girl with accordian) 1950

Curator: This striking silver gelatin print is titled "Untitled (girl with accordion)" by John Deusing. Editor: It’s such an odd image, spectral almost. The inverted tones make it look like a photographic negative, imbuing the subject with a sense of eerie energy. Curator: Precisely. Consider the accordion itself, a mass-produced instrument born of industrial progress, now transformed into an ethereal object through Deusing’s manipulation of the photographic process. Editor: The accordion has always symbolized a folksy sort of charm, and even a little melancholy, particularly within specific immigrant communities. Is that echoed here? Curator: Perhaps. The choice to invert the image disrupts straightforward readings, inviting us to reflect on photography's capacity to reshape cultural symbols. Editor: It definitely casts a new light on familiar cultural iconography, doesn't it? Curator: Indeed, Deusing challenges our assumptions about photographic representation. Editor: Well, I’ve gained a new appreciation for how the artist's manipulation can alter our perception of such a common musical emblem.