Untitled (little boy on armchair) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, titled "Untitled (little boy on armchair)," comes to us from Lucian and Mary Brown, though we have no dates associated with the work or the artists themselves. Editor: It's almost ghostly, isn't it? The high contrast gives it a dreamlike, melancholic feel. It makes me think of old family secrets hidden in plain sight. Curator: Yes, the reversed tones really affect our perception. It’s a very intimate image, probably taken inside the family home. The floral armchair, the bookshelf in the background… it speaks of a particular domesticity. Editor: The boy's pose is so interesting too. He is draped over the chair, but he doesn't look sad. There's a playful energy there, a sense of childish curiosity or maybe even boredom. Curator: And that bookshelf, filled with readable spines, it suggests a life of learning and literacy being encouraged within the home. Editor: It makes me wonder what story he's dreaming up while dangling there. What world is he lost in, away from us? Curator: The reversed tones create a starkness that makes us look more closely, it invites us to fill in the blanks. Editor: Exactly. It leaves so much to the imagination. I like that.