X-radiograph(s) of "George Rogers" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of the painting "George Rogers," attributed to John Smibert. The X-ray reveals layers beneath the surface. Editor: Wow, it looks like peering into a soul... or at least a very ghostly, grid-lined version of one. It’s eerie and beautiful. Curator: Absolutely. The grid pattern probably comes from the canvas weave. X-rays like this help us understand the artist's process, any underdrawings, or later alterations. Editor: It makes me think about the layers of history embedded in a portrait, beyond just the sitter's identity: the artist's choices, the societal expectations reflected in the image. Curator: Precisely! And how our methods of analysis are also revealing and obscuring, creating new narratives as we investigate the old. Editor: It is like archaeology, bringing old relics into the present to better grasp the past. Curator: Indeed, a ghost of a past brought to us in the present through imaging technologies.