X-radiograph(s) of "John Cambell" 

Curator: This is an X-radiograph of Gilbert Stuart's portrait of "John Cambell", a film measuring 14 by 17 inches held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: It's hauntingly beautiful, like a ghost in the machine. You can vaguely make out the face and what seems to be an ornate collar, but it's all so ethereal. Curator: Absolutely. X-radiography allows us to see beneath the surface, literally revealing the artist's process and materials. This image exposes underlayers, pentimenti, and the canvas's structure itself, which can tell us much about artistic techniques of the period, conservation questions, and the biography of the object. Editor: And perhaps, on a more symbolic level, it reveals the unseen power structures that underpin portraiture itself. Who was allowed to be seen, how were they presented, and what was hidden beneath the surface of that representation? It challenges the very notion of visibility and representation. Curator: Precisely. It's a reminder that what we see in a finished artwork is only part of the story, shaped by so many historical, material, and socio-political forces. Editor: Seeing it this way gives me a whole new appreciation for the original portrait and all that it implies.