X-radiograph(s) of "Emily, Austin and Lavinia Dickinson " Possibly 6 - 48

Curator: Looking at this, I feel like I'm peering through time itself. It's an X-radiograph of a painting thought to depict Emily, Austin, and Lavinia Dickinson. Editor: It's ghostly! The subjects are barely there, emerging from a murky background. What's so fascinating is the science meeting history, offering a glimpse behind the surface of the original painting attributed to Jacob Adriaensz Backer. Curator: The image is not about Backer, though, but about seeing through Backer's work to confirm whether or not the painting hides another image or the original layers. I am much more interested in what remains invisible than in what is shown. Editor: Yes, the fact that radiography can serve this purpose is fascinating. Art institutions have become complex systems of art conservation and archiving. I guess that there is beauty also in that process. Curator: Absolutely. It’s about discovery, isn't it? Peeling back the layers, both literal and metaphorical. Editor: It leaves me pondering what other secrets are hidden just beneath the surface, waiting to be revealed.