Untitled (group of African American women holding pineapples) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph by Harry Annas, held in the Harvard Art Museums, presents a group of African American women holding pineapples. Editor: It feels both posed and candid, doesn't it? There's something incredibly surreal about this gathering, almost dreamlike. Curator: The arrangement of the women, their expressions, and the pineapples themselves invite us to consider the intersections of labor, identity, and representation. What narratives might they be enacting? Editor: Narratives of abundance, maybe? The pineapples pop against the backdrop, hinting at a complex story of resilience and pride amidst hardship. It's got a sharp feeling, one that hits hard. Curator: Precisely. The photograph prompts a dialogue about the historical and social contexts of Black womanhood, agency, and the symbolic weight of the pineapple. Editor: The way the light washes over everything is also interesting. It creates this ghostly effect, reminding us of the fragility of memory and the stories we choose to remember. Curator: Indeed, and the image's formal qualities compel us to reflect on the politics of visibility and the power of collective identity formation. Editor: I find it deeply moving, it sticks with you. It's a photograph that keeps giving the more you look.