Untitled (two girls and baby combing hair) c. 1950

Curator: Let's discuss "Untitled (two girls and baby combing hair)" by Lucian and Mary Brown. It's a modest gelatin silver print, only about 4 by 5 inches, housed at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's striking, even in its small scale! A bit eerie, almost, with its reversed tones. It has a very playful energy despite the starkness. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the socio-economic context: affordable photography democratized image-making. Here, we see everyday life, family rituals captured with simple means. Editor: These children, caught in reflection… almost like they are in a dream, suspended in the silver. What stories are they telling each other as they play? Curator: That play, that labor, is central. Combing, grooming—these acts are gendered, cultural, and transmitted through generations within the domestic sphere. Editor: There is something so innocent and unsettling. Curator: Precisely. A beautiful tension arises between the familiar and the uncanny, making it more poignant. Editor: I'm left pondering the power of reflection, both literal and metaphorical. Curator: A small work that offers a wealth of reflection on the human experience.