Untitled (child opening a box of crackers in grocery store) 1950

Editor: Here we have an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, showing a child opening a box of crackers in a grocery store. The rows and rows of brand-name crackers are quite striking. What do you see here? Curator: The photograph exposes consumer culture. The child's activity is framed by the stacked crackers, highlighting how manufactured goods become a backdrop for everyday life, their consistent arrangement masking labor and production. The box of crackers, a product of industry, is now a plaything. Editor: That's a unique take, showing how labor is masked. I didn't think of it that way. Thanks! Curator: Indeed! Considering the means of production offers insight into even the most mundane scenes.