Untitled (little boy outside, pointing) c. 1950

Curator: Lucian and Mary Brown's photograph, simply titled "Untitled (little boy outside, pointing)," captures a young boy mid-gesture. There's an ethereal quality to this reversed image that I find compelling. Editor: It's strangely haunting. The reversed tonality gives it an otherworldly feel. I wonder about the socio-political landscape surrounding childhood at the time of its making. Curator: Given that we don't have a date, it's hard to say for sure, but the print itself offers some clues. It looks like a gelatin silver process, commonly used throughout the 20th century. We could look at similar photographic materials for clues about dating. Editor: Precisely. The boy's posture, pointing outwards, directs the viewer's gaze. What is he pointing at? What’s on the horizon? Is it aspirational? Curator: Or is the image reversed, and is he pointing back at us, at the structures of power that shape his identity? Editor: I like that tension between the personal and political, and the way that tension is held in this photographic object. Curator: It’s a reminder that even the simplest images carry layers of material and social meaning. Editor: Yes, and encourage us to question what's not visible in the frame, beyond the materiality.