Untitled (dog dressed up in clown suit) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have Jack Gould's small gelatin silver print, "Untitled (dog dressed up in clown suit)." It's bizarre, but also kind of sad. What do you make of it? Curator: The clown, a symbol of joy, juxtaposed with a dog, often representing loyalty, creates a dissonance. Do you think this disrupts or reinforces cultural expectations of happiness? Editor: I think it's disruptive. It's unsettling to see those symbols combined. Curator: Exactly. Is it a commentary on forced performance? Or the blurring of boundaries between human and animal, reality and artifice? Perhaps it evokes the uncanny valley. Editor: That's a lot to consider. I’ll never look at clowns the same way. Curator: Nor will I. This image reminds us how potent even seemingly simple symbols can be.