Untitled (three girls on beach) 1962

Curator: This photographic print by Lucian and Mary Brown, currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums, shows three girls on a beach. Editor: Immediately, there’s something otherworldly about it. The inverted tones give it an almost dreamlike, eerie quality. Curator: Yes, the negative print definitely alters our perception. The image speaks to broader themes of representation and the construction of childhood innocence in visual culture. How do we read these images? Editor: It makes me wonder what their lives were like. Were they happy? Did they feel safe? There’s also a sense of voyeurism that is amplified by the negative, almost as if we are looking at a secret. Curator: Absolutely. The ambiguity of the medium, combined with the absence of a precise date, invites interpretation. Editor: Looking at this piece made me think that sometimes, the most interesting art isn't always the most obvious.