Untitled (baby standing and holding on to chair) c. 1950

Curator: This photographic negative, titled "Untitled (baby standing and holding on to chair)," comes to us from Lucian and Mary Brown. It is now held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: My immediate impression is one of slight unease. The stark contrast and the child’s serious gaze create a rather intense atmosphere. Curator: Indeed. The photograph captures a moment of early development, of course, but the child's grip on the ornate chair suggests a reliance on the trappings of domestic life. The photographic negative, though, upends any traditional notion of sentimental portraiture, doesn’t it? Editor: Absolutely. Note also the teddy bear situated regally on the chair back: almost a royal symbol observing the child’s first steps toward independence. It’s an interesting juxtaposition of power dynamics, of innocence and control. Curator: And control is essential, isn't it? Not only for the child but for the photographer capturing a moment, framing it within a visual culture of family and status. Editor: It's unsettling and captivating all at once, isn't it? Curator: Yes. The child is both vulnerable and strangely self-possessed.