The Witch and the Soldier c. 19th century

Curator: This sketch, currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums, is titled "The Witch and the Soldier" by Edward Martin Taber. It's a small piece, about 14 by 21 centimeters. Editor: It feels so tentative, like a fleeting thought captured in graphite. You can almost feel the artist’s hand moving quickly across the page. Curator: Right, the sketchiness really emphasizes the art-making process itself. Given the figures, one wonders about the cultural moment, the fascination with folklore. Was this meant as study for a larger piece? Editor: It could be. Or maybe Taber was more interested in the materials at his disposal and testing their limits. The starkness could be a commentary on the consumption of such imagery during his time. Curator: Possibly. Considering the absence of a firm date, it's hard to pinpoint its precise social context, but witch trials certainly were a long-standing, troubling theme in Western history, shaping societal anxieties. Editor: Precisely, and this sketch reveals how that narrative translates into accessible materials and a commodity, ready for interpretation. Curator: Looking at it now, the interplay between the characters remains ambiguous. Editor: Agreed, but it’s that open-endedness that invites continuous reevaluation.