Untitled (woman with bonnet and children) c. 1930s

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Dorothea Lange, held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. It portrays a woman with a bonnet and children. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is the sheer weight of it, you know? The woman's expression, the baby in her arms...it feels heavy, burdened. Curator: Lange often used the mother and child archetype to evoke universal feelings of compassion, but also to symbolize resilience amidst hardship. Think of the Madonna figure. Editor: Absolutely. And that bonnet, framing her face like a halo almost...but a halo of struggle, not serenity. It's a powerful juxtaposition. Curator: It's interesting how Lange focuses on the subtle details, the textures of their clothing, the lines on the woman's face, all speaking volumes about their circumstances. Editor: It makes you wonder about their story, doesn't it? Where they're going, what they've been through. It's a snapshot of a life, frozen in time, yet somehow still breathing.