Untitled (man selling things, possibly cigars, from a case around his neck) c. 1950

Editor: This untitled photograph by Jack Gould captures a street vendor with his wares. It’s quite small, almost snapshot-like. What can you tell us about the public role of images like this? Curator: Consider how photography, even casually, documents everyday economic activities. Street vendors, largely absent from traditional art, find a visual record here. What does its presence in a museum say about evolving cultural values? Editor: That's interesting. So, the image's value lies in documenting a common yet previously unacknowledged piece of history? Curator: Precisely! Museums shape what we deem worthy of remembering. An image like this challenges traditional notions of artistic subject matter.