Untitled (girl standing in white, wearing veil, holding bible and rosary, one hand by side) 1952

Curator: This photograph, currently titled "Untitled," comes to us from the hand of John Deusing, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It captures a young girl in white, holding a bible and rosary. Editor: It’s striking how staged it feels, almost a little melancholy. The veil, the serious expression... it speaks volumes. Curator: Absolutely. Think about the photographic process then, the labor involved in creating this image, the posing, the printing, the materials involved. Editor: And the ritual—confirmation, perhaps? The white dress, that small bible. I wonder what she was thinking, standing there, immortalized in this moment. The weight of tradition, maybe? Curator: It’s a tangible connection to a specific moment, a memory captured on, perhaps, silver gelatin print. It invites us to contemplate childhood, faith, and the very act of preservation. Editor: Exactly, and it feels like a reminder, a little haunting and beautiful.