Untitled (team portrait of boys' baseball team) 1948

Curator: This silver gelatin print, by John Howell, shows a boy’s baseball team—it’s titled “Untitled (team portrait of boys' baseball team)." Editor: It's an inverted image, which gives the team an almost spectral appearance. They're like ghostly heroes of small-town Americana. Curator: The inversion certainly changes how we perceive them. Baseball, as a cultural symbol, often evokes nostalgia for simpler times. Howell presents us with an uncanny version of that. Editor: Absolutely. It's the "North Shore" team, their name emblazoned across their chests, linking them to place. Their poses, stiff and formal, mimic older portraiture. Curator: Yes, but with a youthful twist. The image becomes a cultural artifact loaded with layers: ambition, belonging, and the weight of local pride. Editor: Looking at it, I wonder about the social dynamics in play – this image becomes a stage where those dynamics are performed. Curator: Perhaps this ghostly effect suggests memory, and how it transforms experiences into something almost mythical. Editor: Indeed, the inversion lets us see the image with fresh eyes and contemplate the cultural weight of these young athletes.