Untitled (man sitting at window in office looking out at airplane) 1957

Curator: Here we have an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, currently housed at the Harvard Art Museums, which features a man sitting by a window overlooking an airplane. Editor: It has such a stark, quiet mood. The contrast between the man's crisp suit and the massive plane creates an odd intimacy, like a stage set. Curator: I find myself wondering about the social implications of air travel at the time this image was taken. Who had access to it? What did it represent in terms of power dynamics and global connectivity? Editor: And what about the material realities of that plane? Think of the aluminum, the labor, the extraction processes necessary for its construction. The photograph doesn't reveal this, of course, but it's inherent. Curator: True. There's a tension between the sleek image of progress and the hidden costs of that progress. It really invites contemplation on the narratives we tell ourselves about technological advancement. Editor: It is a fascinating snapshot into a specific moment, viewed through such a particular lens. Curator: I agree, it makes me question how we can see both what is present and what's purposefully obscured.