Untitled (two zebras at zoo) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, simply titled "Untitled (two zebras at zoo)," was captured by Jack Gould. It's a small gelatin silver print, about 6 by 19 centimeters. Editor: It feels like a study in contrasts. The zebras' stripes against the stark, wire fence and the solid, looming rock in the background. Curator: Indeed! The black and white format emphasizes that duality. Zebras themselves are powerful symbols of balance, of opposing forces coexisting. Editor: And that fence, though physically present, feels almost invisible. The zebras, despite being contained, possess a kind of serene autonomy. The wildness contained, perhaps. Curator: The image invites reflection on freedom, confinement, and the blurred lines between nature and imposed order. Editor: I find myself contemplating what it means to be both exotic and ordinary, a wild creature viewed through the lens of the everyday zoo visit. Curator: It's a simple image that somehow manages to contain complex ideas. Editor: Agreed. And that’s the magic of Gould’s capture; he transforms the mundane into something meaningfully evocative.