Untitled (couple dancing the jitterbug; man jumping) 1946

Curator: What a fantastic slice of life captured by Jack Gould! This silver gelatin print, currently housed in the Harvard Art Museums, depicts a couple exuberantly dancing the jitterbug. Editor: It's inverted. My initial feeling is almost ghostly, like watching a memory trying to solidify. Curator: It's interesting how the image being inverted affects our perception. The jitterbug, a dance born from swing music, exploded in popularity during the big band era, a form of joyous rebellion and community expression. Editor: Exactly! It feels full of almost manic energy—that jump, the slight blur – and that, juxtaposed with the photographic negative, hints at both the thrill and the ephemeral nature of those moments. A world on fire. Curator: Indeed. The dance itself became a site of contestation, a fascinating reflection of social tensions and cultural shifts during that period. Editor: It makes one think about how art—even something as seemingly simple as a photograph of dancers—can capture not just movement, but a whole era’s hopes and anxieties.