Untitled (front of airplane with propellor) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. The image size is quite intimate, just over two inches square. Editor: It has a monumental, almost ominous feel despite its size—the looming airplane and the inverted tones create a sense of unease and industrial power. Curator: The negative exposure certainly enhances that effect, lending a surreal quality to the ordinary scene. Note the Shell Oil truck, a symbol of transit and commerce of the time. Editor: And this conjures up complex layers. The pairing of flight and oil, expansion and extraction, speaks to the political undercurrents of progress and their reliance on fossil fuels. Curator: Yes, it's a striking capture of a moment ripe with possibility and perhaps a darker omen. Editor: A chilling premonition, now that I think of it.