Gore Hall, Harvard College c. 1844

Curator: This photograph depicts Gore Hall at Harvard College, taken by Josiah Parsons Cooke IV. Notice how the artist has framed the building within the surrounding trees. Editor: It evokes such a severe, almost gothic mood. The starkness of the building against the blurry sky really amplifies the sense of institutional power. Curator: Indeed, the symmetrical composition and the verticality of the spires reinforce that sense of order and hierarchy. Editor: But it also feels exclusionary. Who had access to such spaces of learning, and who was deliberately kept outside? Curator: A valid point. The photograph, while formally compelling, is also a document of a specific social moment. Editor: Exactly. So while the composition is noteworthy, so is the history it represents. Curator: It makes you question what is captured, and what is purposely not. Editor: Precisely, a building is never just a building.