Untitled (city street at night) c. 1950

Editor: This photograph, "Untitled (city street at night)" by Jack Gould, really strikes me with its high contrast and eerie feeling. What stands out to you about this image? Curator: The material production is key here. Look at the photographic process. It's an inverted image; the darks are light and vice versa. This evokes the labor, the darkroom, the chemistry of image-making itself. How does that labor influence our understanding of the scene depicted? Editor: That's interesting. It makes me think about how the photograph isn't just a representation but also a constructed object. Curator: Exactly! The consumption of images like this also speaks volumes about mid-century urban life. We are witnessing a transformation in commerce through the lens.