Untitled (little girl posed with doll outside, sunlight through trees) c. 1930

Curator: This intriguing, untitled photograph by Harris & Ewing features a little girl with her doll, standing in dappled sunlight beneath the trees. It’s roughly 8 by 10 inches. Editor: The first thing that strikes me is how dreamlike it feels. The inverted tones create a sort of haunting atmosphere. Curator: I wonder if the inverted tones might also speak to the hidden labor of childhood. This image hints at the weight of societal expectations placed on young girls. Editor: That's a provocative reading. I also sense the doll becomes an uncanny mirror. Are they friends or is the doll a stand-in for someone else entirely? Curator: It’s fascinating how the sunlight both reveals and obscures. The image invites us to project our own experiences onto this little girl. Editor: Absolutely, and it is a reminder of how photography can reveal both presence and absence in equal measure. It gives us a glimpse into a world that is, ultimately, unknowable. Curator: A beautiful way to look at it. Thanks.