Untitled (child in animal costume holding white rodent) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, by Lucian and Mary Brown, shows a child in an animal costume, holding a small white rodent. Editor: It's a really eerie piece! The inverted tones give it a ghostly feel, like a spectral memory. Curator: The animal costume itself has a symbolic weight. Masks and costumes often served to blur the lines between human and animal, connecting us to primal instincts. Editor: And the fact that it’s a photographic negative really emphasizes the artifice of the image. You can almost see the hand of the Browns in the darkroom. Curator: Yes! It's fascinating how an image can become so charged with cultural meaning, even in its seemingly simple depiction. Editor: Absolutely. It's a reminder of the labor and intent involved in even the most seemingly straightforward images.