Untitled (Baker movie theater playing King Solomon's Mines) c. 1950

Curator: This untitled black and white photograph by Harry Annas captures the Baker movie theater, specifically showing "King Solomon's Mines" on its marquee. The image, approximately 4 by 5 inches, is part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: The mood is intensely nostalgic, almost dreamlike. There's a stillness that makes me wonder about the stories this theater has witnessed, the communities it served. Curator: Absolutely, and let's consider the film itself. "King Solomon's Mines" romanticizes colonial exploration in Africa. Seeing it advertised here provokes complex reflections. Editor: Indeed. We have to acknowledge its problematic depictions of race and power dynamics. The image, then, becomes an intersection of entertainment, ideology, and historical context. Curator: Precisely. It challenges us to consider the narratives we consume and the spaces that frame them. Editor: It makes you think, doesn’t it, about how cultural artifacts carry so much more than what's immediately visible?