Untitled (young boy trying on hat and clothes in clothing store) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph by Jack Gould captures a child trying on clothes, somewhere between aspiration and reality, don’t you think? Editor: I see a certain unease, a child almost swallowed by possibility and consumerism. Is it a celebration or a critique of the American dream? Curator: Well, the image size itself, about 2x2 inches, speaks volumes. A seemingly insignificant moment blown up. The material reality is a modest gelatin silver print, democratizing the act of consumption. Editor: Democratizing, perhaps, but also unsettling. The lighting is stark, casting long shadows that amplify this idea that the boy is alone and trying to embody something he isn't, or isn't yet. Curator: Considering the period, the clothes, this piece speaks to how we fabricate identity through material objects, and the labor involved, even for a child. Editor: Maybe we should ponder on the idea of play, then. It’s also about dressing up, pretending. Curator: Indeed, it is, on the surface; at its core it is about societal production. Editor: And, maybe, a little boy's dream.