Untitled (people wearing capes in procession, seen from above) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by C. Bennette Moore, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It depicts people wearing capes in procession, as seen from above. What's your immediate take on it? Editor: Eerie. It's like a dreamscape, a memory viewed from an impossible height. The inverted tones add to the sense of unreality. Curator: Moore’s vantage point certainly shapes our perception. It’s a fascinating play with perspective, almost like we're floating above a ritual. Are they celebratory or somber, do you think? Editor: It is ambiguous. The capes lend a sense of drama, maybe even ceremony, but the lack of detail, especially in their faces, is unsettling. Perhaps the ritual is for an unknown deity? Curator: Interesting point. Moore’s decision to leave the narrative open pushes us to fill in the blanks. I find myself pondering the power dynamics inherent in processions and public displays. Editor: And the role of the photographic gaze itself, right? Moore isn’t just documenting; they are actively constructing this particular vision. Curator: Precisely. It’s a reminder that photographs are never neutral records, but rather deliberate acts of interpretation. Editor: A photographic meditation, then. A quiet unveiling of social structure viewed through a lens.