Untitled (man with dog wearing sign) c. 1950

Curator: This evocative photograph by Jack Gould features a man with his dog, who is wearing a sign. It's part of the Harvard Art Museums collection, though it's unfortunately untitled and undated. Editor: My first thought? It's incredibly sad, yet there is something absurd and funny about the sign. Curator: Absolutely. The sign reads "Amalgamated Mascot Evicted From Dog House To Make Room For Ploeser". The sign makes me wonder about larger social issues. Editor: It's the inversion of power dynamics that strikes me. The dog, a mascot, becomes a symbol of displacement, likely a reflection of human economic struggles. Curator: Perhaps, or maybe it’s a comment on the changing social landscape, the dog's position mirroring shifting roles within a community. Editor: Ultimately, it leaves us pondering the narratives we construct around belonging and exclusion, even for our furry companions. Curator: Indeed, Gould invites us to consider the symbolic weight we assign to animals and their place in our socio-political theater.