Untitled (woman and baby on couch) c. 1950

Curator: Let's turn our attention to this gelatin silver print from the Harvard Art Museums, a rather intimate photograph by John Howell, simply titled "Untitled (woman and baby on couch)." Editor: It's funny, it looks almost like a ghost captured on film! The inversion of light and shadow gives this very domestic scene a sort of spectral feeling. Curator: The high contrast indeed adds a layer of emotional complexity. Maternal iconography frequently draws on light and shadow to represent hope and vulnerability. The couch itself feels like a stage. Editor: You're right, there's a certain formality despite the subject matter. But to me it feels more like a memory than a staged scene. Curator: Perhaps Howell sought to capture that very tension, the way we mythologize ordinary moments. Editor: Makes you wonder what other ghosts linger in our photos. Curator: Indeed, perhaps we're all just collections of light and shadow, searching for meaning.