Untitled (portrait of little girl with hair in braids) 1947

Curator: Looking at John Howell’s small, silver gelatin print, Untitled (portrait of little girl with hair in braids), I’m immediately struck by how this seemingly simple portrait feels oddly… spectral. Editor: Yes, it's fascinating how the inversion of light and shadow transforms such an ordinary subject into something almost unsettling. It speaks to the often-unacknowledged anxieties surrounding childhood. Curator: Exactly! There's this tension between innocence and a knowing gaze. The little girl's smile is so wide, and then the inverted tones bring an aura of strangeness. It's like a memory, filtered through the lens of time and… well, trauma, maybe? Editor: Or consider how the braids, symbols of girlhood and domestication, appear almost like glowing ropes, binding her to societal expectations. It’s a subtle but powerful commentary on imposed identities. Curator: Perhaps, I tend to lean toward the technical choices. The inversion itself feels like a deliberate act of subversion, transforming the familiar into something surreal. Editor: I see it as Howell offering a visual echo of the power dynamics embedded within seemingly benign portraits of children, even if unconsciously. It makes you consider the role of the photographer, of the gaze, in shaping identity. Curator: Ultimately, this little inverted portrait challenges us to confront the complexities hidden beneath the surface of childhood imagery. Editor: Yes, it’s a ghostly reminder of the burdens and expectations we place on even the youngest among us.