Untitled (portrait of five men outside) c. 1950

Curator: This arresting image is an untitled work by John Howell, a silver gelatin print, roughly 5 by 4 inches. The negative provides an eerie cast on the five figures depicted. Editor: Eerie is right! It feels like a glimpse into some uncanny gathering, perhaps a secret society caught in an inverted world. The composition is quite formal, though, isn't it? Curator: Yes, note the careful arrangement of the figures, the visual hierarchy created by the standing versus seated poses. It suggests a social dynamic, perhaps of status or authority. How do such power structures evolve in social organizations? Editor: Perhaps. Or perhaps this photograph is trying to suggest the way imagery can influence these structures and the power dynamics they hold over us. Curator: A valid reading, considering how formal portraiture has historically been utilized to convey power. Regardless, the inverted tones certainly disrupt that sense of authority, don't you think? Editor: Absolutely. It's this tension between the familiar format and the unsettling reversal that makes it so compelling. I wonder what it reveals about its cultural moment? Curator: An interesting question to ponder indeed.