Untitled (children on stairs) c. 1960

Curator: This is John Howell's "Untitled (children on stairs)," a small black and white photograph residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's so dreamlike! The ghostly figures of the children almost seem to float against the dark background. There's an enchanting, slightly unsettling vibe. Curator: The negative creates that otherworldly effect, almost like lost souls. Children, often romanticized, are rendered here with a stark, haunting beauty. Editor: It makes me think about how we frame childhood innocence. Is it real, or is it constructed? These children feel caught between worlds, between play and something deeper. Curator: It's interesting to consider the context of image production. How does this photographic aesthetic shift or reinforce cultural perceptions of family and children in the absence of details of when it was created? Editor: Maybe it is a commentary on the fleeting nature of memory. We only have glimpses, fragments of moments. It's lovely, but it evokes a sense of melancholy too, don't you think? Curator: Yes, it leaves one pondering the narratives we build around these images and the spaces they occupy. Editor: A fascinating window into the unseen, indeed.