Untitled (antelope at the zoo) c. 1950

Editor: This is Jack Gould's small, undated photograph, "Untitled (antelope at the zoo)," housed at the Harvard Art Museums. The negative presentation gives it an eerie, almost dreamlike quality. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The antelope, centered, becomes an icon of displaced wildness. Note the negative's stark contrast, how it renders the leaves spectral. It's a visual poem, reflecting on captivity and the symbolic weight we place on animals. Editor: So, the negative enhances that feeling of displacement? Curator: Precisely. The reversal makes the familiar strange, perhaps mirroring the animal’s own alienation. It prompts us to consider our relationship with the natural world. Editor: I never thought about it that way, but I see it now. Curator: These images hold layers of meaning and show how symbols can shape our perceptions.