Untitled (rear of street-sweeper clearing debris) c. 1950

Curator: This is an Untitled photograph by Jack Gould, held here at the Harvard Art Museums. It depicts the rear of a street-sweeper clearing debris. What’s your initial take? Editor: The stark inversion immediately grabs me. The negative space amplifies the grit, the labor, the very act of cleaning becomes almost brutal in this light. Curator: Precisely. The inverted tones disrupt our expectations, highlighting the often-invisible labor of sanitation work. Consider the social implications of depicting these workers. Editor: The composition itself is masterful. The strong diagonal of the sweeper arm bisects the frame, creating a dynamic tension between the mechanical and the human. Curator: And note how the lack of specific detail regarding date or location universalizes the scene, speaking to broader themes of class and labor across time. Editor: Ultimately, Gould's choice of inversion pushes us to reconsider the aesthetics of the everyday, compelling us to find beauty, or at least significance, in the mundane. Curator: Indeed, Gould prompts us to confront the sociopolitical undercurrents present in even the simplest of urban scenes.