X-radiograph(s) of "Tuckerman Salisbury (Mrs. Stephen Salisbury I)" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of "Tuckerman Salisbury (Mrs. Stephen Salisbury I)". The original portrait was painted by Chester Harding. Editor: It's a ghostly image, like looking through a veil. The woman's face is discernible, but it has an ethereal quality. Curator: Radiography reveals underpainting and alterations, giving insight into the artist's process that is normally hidden from view. This allows us to understand 19th century portraiture. Editor: It also strips away the facade of the finished portrait, the constructed image. We see the raw structure, the bare bones, so to speak, which is deeply revealing. Curator: Exactly, revealing choices that inform the historical context of the portrait's creation. Editor: It's a powerful reminder of the layers of meaning embedded in an image. A shadow of what once was, literally.