Note about the picture :

A group of people greet each other with enthusiasm and joy. These emotions are some of the foundational attributes of being part of community and this picture is a recognition and celebration of those attributes.

The picture is, indeed, also a historic document that depicts the radiant smile of one figure. This primary figure has much greater emphasis than the presence of the second figure. That primary historic figure holds a place in American lore for her dignity, sophistication and absolute radiance. It is that radiance that I was most interested in when conceptualizing the picture.

But, in addition to the featured figures, what does the figure in silhouette represent? Is this figure only a compositional conceit? Does it symbolize something and if so, what? It’s possible that it is both of these things or neither.