Untitled (chimps playing baseball on a stage) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled work by Jack Gould, now held in the Harvard Art Museums, depicting chimps playing baseball on a stage. Editor: The image’s stark contrast makes the scene feel unsettling, almost nightmarish, despite the whimsical subject matter. The chimps seem trapped, spotlighted. Curator: The composition does emphasize the performative nature of the scene, reflecting early 20th-century anxieties about the relationship between humans and animals, and staged entertainment. Editor: Absolutely. The backdrop's cartoonish imagery juxtaposes the real-life performers, highlighting the artificiality of constructed identities and questioning perceived boundaries between species. It speaks to cultural appropriation. Curator: An interesting read. Gould was known to work with inversions, or negatives, in his work. The effect creates an eerie, almost dreamlike, quality. Editor: Yes, it lingers with me, prompting me to consider the exploitation inherent in these forms of entertainment and how they reflect broader power dynamics.