Untitled (portrait of boy in houndstooth jacket) c. 1950

Curator: Here we have an Untitled portrait of a boy in a houndstooth jacket, attributed to Lucian and Mary Brown, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: My first impression is that there’s something ethereal and slightly unsettling about it; it’s so small, almost like a faded memory. Curator: The negative image certainly contributes to that effect. The stark reversal of light and shadow changes everything, doesn't it? The texture of the houndstooth seems almost hyper-real. Editor: Exactly. It’s as if the jacket is the only solid thing in this boy's world, and everything else—his innocence, perhaps—is fading away. Food for thought! Curator: Indeed. I find myself wondering about their choice to capture this subject as a photographic negative. Editor: The image does linger with you, doesn't it? It prompts you to consider its hidden meanings.