Untitled (aerial view of workers marching in strike on city street) c. 1950

Curator: The photo, "Untitled (aerial view of workers marching in strike on city street)" by Jack Gould, shows a workers' strike. What strikes you? Editor: It's the scale, both of the photo itself and the seeming masses marching. What can you tell me about the materials and context of this photograph? Curator: Well, the small size of the print emphasizes its potential for dissemination, as a tool within a larger movement. Consider the labor involved in its creation – from the photographer to the darkroom workers, all contributing to its meaning as a document of collective action and possible propaganda. Editor: So, the photograph itself becomes a material element *within* the strike? Curator: Precisely! Its value isn’t just aesthetic; it’s in how it participates in the material struggle. We also see the materiality of the signs they are holding. Editor: That makes me look at it in a whole new way!