Untitled (children playing outside on map of United States painted on ground) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph by Jack Gould, simply titled "Untitled," captures children playing on a map of the United States painted onto what appears to be a playground. Editor: It feels… strange. Like a dream of childhood, but also something a little unsettling about children positioned on a map of the USA. It's both innocent and… loaded. Curator: Exactly. Considering the era this was likely taken, we can view this through a lens of national identity, particularly in the context of post-war American culture. The map becomes a stage for performing citizenship. Editor: So, it’s about belonging? Because I almost feel the opposite. The space feels so rigid with the stark lines of the states—the kids kind of look trapped, or like they are forced to learn something. Curator: Perhaps both. It highlights the tensions between the idealism of unity and the lived realities of disparate regional experiences, raising questions about who belongs and who is excluded within the national narrative. Editor: I see that. It makes you wonder who drew those lines and whose childhoods get to unfold within them. Food for thought.