Untitled (girls playing dress-up and trying on clothes) c. 1950

Curator: This arresting small-format photograph, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection, is titled "Untitled (girls playing dress-up and trying on clothes)," by Jack Gould. Editor: My immediate reaction is how this tonally reversed image gives the dressing-up ritual a spectral, almost dreamlike quality. Curator: Absolutely. The light and shadow play create a fascinating visual dynamic, drawing our attention to the composition: the angles of the room, the textures of the fabrics, the careful arrangement of objects. Editor: Dress-up is such a culturally loaded activity for young girls—it speaks to performance, identity, and aspiration. That formal gown becomes an emblem, a symbol of womanhood itself. Curator: Precisely, and the materiality of the dress, contrasted against the girls' bare skin, heightens the structural tension within the frame. Editor: It certainly illuminates how clothing serves as a powerful visual code, shaping our self-perception and societal roles. A fascinating and deeply evocative image. Curator: Indeed, Gould's attention to form elevates a simple scene into a resonant exploration of space and texture.