Untitled (interior of large synagogue; people attending a service) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have Jack Gould's "Untitled," showing the interior of a large synagogue filled with people attending service. It looks like a photographic negative. What draws your eye to this image? Curator: The reproduction process itself is fascinating. We see “Ansco Safety Film” printed on its edge, indicative of mass production. How does this mass production affect the image's aura, its supposed uniqueness? Was it a commercial or personal endeavor? Editor: That's a great point. Does the use of mass-produced film change how we value this image? I never considered that. Curator: Precisely! It makes you consider how the material conditions the creation and reception of the artwork. Food for thought.