Untitled (girl wearing dress with tulle skirt) c. 1950

Curator: This is an intriguing untitled photograph by Lucian and Mary Brown, currently held in the Harvard Art Museums collection. It depicts a girl in a tulle dress. Editor: It’s unsettling. The negative exposure gives her a ghostly quality, emphasizing the artifice of her pose and dress. Curator: The composition centers around the contrast between the girl's rigid posture and the soft, flowing texture of the tulle. Consider the stark lines against the ethereal fabric. Editor: Right, and isn't the chair a symbol of domestic constraint? Perhaps the image critiques the performance of girlhood in a bygone era? The stiff collar looks like a cage. Curator: The interplay between form and texture is really where the image's interest lies, I think. Editor: I see your point, though for me the social commentary is what resonates most strongly. Food for thought, indeed!