Left, “The Bathers (Sunlight).” Right, “The Bathers (Moonlight).” Toned gelatin silver print.

New York Times
Uncovering the Past of a Mystery Photo Album
By MATT MCCANN

““I came across this small little album in this plastic bag,” said Michele Penhall, curator of prints and photographs at the University of New Mexico Art Museum, where the album is on display through July 28. “Nothing on the cover — I opened it up and even seeing the typed page, I was immediately taken by it. When you look at the pictures, you realize it’s something really spectacular and very different from the many things you’ve encountered when you look at photographic albums.”

“These aren’t random shots,” she added. “It feels like there’s a story behind many of these pictures individually but there’s a larger story about the whole album.”

Its deliberateness, and its mystery, set me on a miniature investigation to find what I could about the curious piece.”