Untitled (two men walking with one umbrella) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph by Jack Gould, simply titled "Untitled (two men walking with one umbrella)", captures a fascinating scene. Editor: It's like a dream… or maybe a memory fading. That inverted text on the umbrella—the whole image has this wonderfully unsettling quality. Curator: The umbrella is key, bearing reversed text suggesting a strike. It becomes a symbol, a visual representation of conflict and resistance, shielding these men from an unseen storm. Editor: Exactly! It's protection but also protest. And in negative, it almost feels like they are ghosts of labor history, forever walking, forever striking. Curator: The image certainly creates a potent association between the act of walking, the act of striking, and the timeless human need for shelter, both literal and metaphorical. Editor: There is a beautiful melancholy in the everyday. Curator: A small picture, but with a story much larger than its size. Editor: A story that still resonates today, I think.