Untitled (man with dog on shoulders sliding down fireman's pole, seen from below) c. 1950

Editor: This silver gelatin print by Jack Gould shows a man, seen from below, with a dog on his shoulders sliding down a fireman’s pole. The image is…unusual. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The fireman’s pole is symbolic of many things: access, escape, play. But consider the dog, perched atop the man. Do you think of Cerberus, guardian of the underworld, playfully engaging with domesticity? Editor: I hadn’t thought of that connection! Curator: What does it mean when the liminal guardian, the dog, is no longer fearsome, but a companion in play? Gould may be inviting us to reconsider boundaries. Editor: That’s a fascinating perspective, it changes how I see the whole photograph.