Louviers Street c. 20th century

Curator: This is Herman Armour Webster's "Louviers Street," an etching currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There’s a dreaminess to it, almost as if it were a memory fading at the edges. The skeletal trees seem to hold up the image like goalposts, bracketing that crumbling structure on the hill. Curator: The printmaking process allows for a democratic distribution of imagery, suggesting Webster was interested in making this scene, and its implied narratives, accessible to a wider audience. Editor: The building in the background could be interpreted as a symbol of time's relentless march, contrasting the fragility of human constructs with the endurance of nature. It certainly evokes a sense of melancholic beauty. Curator: Yes, the layering of thin lines, the very act of building up the image through labor, gives it that texture. Editor: Perhaps, but I think the symbolic weight lies in how those lines construct meaning and cultural memory for the viewer. A quiet commentary on the passage of time. Curator: Well, whatever it is, it’s been quite interesting to look at it together. Editor: Indeed. This intersection of labor and imagery creates a compelling dialogue.