Truro Cathedral, from the River 1897

Editor: This is Joseph Pennell's "Truro Cathedral, from the River," a drawing at the Harvard Art Museums. The cathedral looms over what looks like a working waterfront. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a challenge to conventional power structures. The cathedral, usually a symbol of authority, is almost softened, made less imposing by the busy, working-class scene in the foreground. Pennell seems to be asking us, "Whose story is really being told here?" Editor: So you think he’s highlighting the lives of ordinary people in contrast to the church's authority? Curator: Precisely. Consider, too, how the river, a source of life and labor, flows directly in front of the cathedral, almost undermining its dominance. What does that juxtaposition mean to you? Editor: It makes me think about resilience and the everyday struggles of people against established institutions. Curator: Exactly! Art helps us to question whose voices are elevated and whose are marginalized in the narratives we construct about ourselves and our societies.