Untitled (portrait of man wearing coat and bowtie) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled photographic portrait of a man in a coat and bowtie, crafted by Lucian and Mary Brown. It is currently part of the collection at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: Well, right off the bat, it looks like a silver screen ghost! That high contrast gives him a spectral vibe, like he's about to deliver some cryptic message. Curator: The high contrast is striking, but I see it more as a classic formal portrait, probably mid-20th century. The bowtie and coat suggest a certain formality, reflecting social conventions of the time. Editor: Formal, sure, but there's something unsettling too. Maybe it’s just the reversal throwing me, but his eyes seem…intense, almost pleading. It makes me wonder what kind of story he carries. Curator: Exactly. The Browns, I believe, were playing with the photographic conventions of the period, hinting at psychological depth beyond the surface. Editor: I guess what I’m seeing is that, through this ghostly rendering, they've unintentionally captured something raw and vulnerable. Food for thought.