Untitled (Lockhart Savings & Loan Association, exterior) c. 1950

Curator: This rather unassuming image, held in the Harvard Art Museums, captures the exterior of the Lockhart Savings & Loan Association, taken by Harry Annas. Editor: It feels like a ghost town, doesn't it? All these shadows and that stark geometry create this feeling of emptiness, like a memory fading. Curator: The absence of people is striking, isn't it? It invites us to consider the role of these institutions within the social fabric of the time, and question who had access to them. Editor: Absolutely. It's a very quiet photo, yet it speaks volumes about a certain type of American town. Curator: It's a reminder that what we see is always framed by what's absent, what’s implied by omission. Editor: I suppose what I love about this is that it feels so much bigger than just a building.