Untitled (portrait of baby on chair, tree outisde window) c. 1950

Editor: This small, undated photograph by Lucian and Mary Brown, "Untitled (portrait of baby on chair, tree outside window)," presents a startling inverted image. What sociopolitical narratives might be at play here? Curator: Indeed. The photographic negative invites us to consider visibility and invisibility. Who is seen, and how are they seen? How might this inverted image reflect the historical marginalization of certain bodies, particularly in the context of family portraiture? Does it challenge conventional notions of childhood innocence? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. So, you see it as a commentary on representation and power? Curator: Precisely. The inversion prompts a critical look at whose stories are told and how. It asks us to question the assumed neutrality of the photographic image. What did you initially think? Editor: I saw it as a simple portrait! I’ve learned a lot.