Untitled (window washer washing window on exterior of large high-rise building, seen from above) 1946

Curator: This striking, untitled image by Jack Gould captures a window washer cleaning a high-rise, viewed from above. It's a photograph, small in scale but immense in perspective. Editor: The immediate impression is one of precarious labor. The worker's body, the squeegee, the glass—they’re all elements in a dance with gravity and risk. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the historical context—the rise of skyscrapers, the visibility, or invisibility, of the labor that sustains them. Who are these workers? What are their stories? Editor: And what are the tools? The squeegee itself, that humble instrument, becomes a point of connection to the human hand, to the act of cleaning, of maintaining. Curator: It speaks to a broader narrative of class, of the unseen labor that underpins urban life and corporate power structures. Editor: It's a poignant reminder of the materials and bodies involved, and how perspective can shift our understanding of work and value. Curator: It certainly invites us to consider the power dynamics at play within the photograph's frame. Editor: Indeed, a reminder of the tangible efforts involved in the seemingly untouchable world of high finance.