Untitled (VE Day: crowd of people on city street buying newspapers) 1945

Editor: Here's an image called "Untitled (VE Day: crowd of people on city street buying newspapers)" by Jack Gould. It looks to be a photograph, showing people buying newspapers with headlines about Germany's surrender. The photograph looks reversed or in negative. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This photograph highlights the materiality of news itself. Consider the labor involved: from the logging of trees for paper, to the printing presses churning out copies, to the newsboys distributing information. It's a physical manifestation of a pivotal historical moment made for mass consumption. How does this lens change your interpretation? Editor: I hadn't considered the paper itself as part of the message. It makes me think about the physical act of sharing news, and the labor behind it. Thanks! Curator: Exactly! Thinking about the means of production adds another layer to understanding the artwork.