Untitled (three convertibles, people and drivers) c. 1940

Curator: What strikes me immediately is the dreamlike quality of this photograph, "Untitled (three convertibles, people and drivers)," by Harris & Ewing, a piece held here at the Harvard Art Museums. The composition is so unusual. Editor: It feels ghostly, almost like a memory fading. The layering creates a sense of unease, like a palimpsest of a bygone era. What can you tell me about the context of this work? Curator: Well, we don't have a specific date, but the visible automobiles suggest a mid-20th century American context. The composition, the use of layering, perhaps speaks to themes of societal mobility and leisure during that period. Editor: Or the inaccessibility of those freedoms for so many. The ghostly figures in their convertibles almost mock the viewer, a stark reminder of the socio-economic divides reinforced by car culture, and the environmental damage it brings. Curator: It's an interesting tension, this photograph evokes. I find that the high contrast enhances the subjects. Editor: And those contrasts highlight the deep contradictions of that era, an era of progress built on inequality. Food for thought. Curator: Indeed, a piece that continues to pose questions.