Untitled (hand of baseball player holding baseball) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph by Jack Gould, simply titled “Untitled (hand of baseball player holding baseball),” presents a striking study of anticipation, doesn’t it? Editor: It’s like a moment held in suspension, all potential energy. That looming hand and baseball really dominate; it gives me this oddly intimate feeling of being about to catch a ball. Curator: The hand holding the baseball, the stance of the player in the background...It evokes larger themes of readiness, of being poised on the brink of action. Baseball, in America, is rife with symbolic meaning. Editor: I get that. It also seems to be about the moment *before* the symbolism kicks in. It’s quiet. Like a stage set before the actors arrive, all still and waiting. Curator: The image definitely embodies the potential inherent in such moments, and, perhaps, the psychological weight carried within the sport itself. What do you think? Editor: Yeah, I guess it's like the stillness before the crack of the bat, before the roar of the crowd. Now I feel like I’m ready for a hotdog.