Untitled (girl brushing hair in front of mirror) c. 1950

Curator: This captivating image by Lucian and Mary Brown at Harvard Art Museums, approximately 4x5 inches, depicts a girl brushing her hair before a mirror. The mood is immediately intimate, almost voyeuristic. Editor: The negative image, however, casts a strange glow, transforming the commonplace act into something ethereal, even haunting. What’s with the reversed tones? Curator: I find the everyday ritual imbued with profound symbolism. The act of self-reflection, the figurines on the vanity... they speak to the construction of identity and the weight of societal expectations, even at a young age. Editor: But let’s look at the vanity itself, cluttered with objects, a testament to domestic labor and its materials. The manufactured dolls, the dime-store clock—these things tell us about mass production and post-war consumerism. Curator: Yet, isn't the girl, surrounded by these objects, also being shaped by them, reflecting desires instilled through mass media? Editor: Perhaps. The print's creation hints at a darkroom process, the labor that transforms an image. It is less about capturing a fleeting moment and more about how images are materially produced and circulated. Curator: I still see her childhood innocence amidst manufactured realities. Editor: And I'm left questioning the making and marketing of dreams, and the cost for us all.