Untitled (trucks plowing large snow piles) c. 1950

Curator: Immediately, I'm struck by the starkness, almost otherworldly. Is this what it feels like to be inside a snow globe that's gone rogue? Editor: This intriguing photograph, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, is credited to Lucian and Mary Brown. It's simply titled "Untitled (trucks plowing large snow piles)" and measures about 4x5 inches. The negative tonality offers a fresh perspective on something so quotidian. Curator: The inverted tones give the scene an eerie beauty, like a dreamscape where even the snowplows have become mythical beasts. It makes you wonder about the stories of these towns and about the people who lived there. Editor: The image challenges our perceptions of community. The Browns present snow removal, a necessary act of civic maintenance, in such a way that it feels alien. Is it a critique or simply an observation of the mundane made strange through art? Curator: Maybe it's both. The Browns invite us to see the poetry in the ordinary, the strange beauty in the everyday struggles we often overlook. Editor: A potent reminder that even the most utilitarian scenes can become fodder for artistic contemplation.