Untitled (neon lights at night, image of a bottle) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, taken by Jack Gould, features neon lights at night. It is currently untitled and resides in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: The glow feels almost electric, doesn't it? There is something melancholic and inviting about the bottle and the surrounding darkness. Curator: Absolutely. Neon gained traction as an advertising medium in the early 20th century, which aligns it with consumer culture and urban life. Gould's capture is a great example. Editor: I think it's neat how the glow transforms something as mundane as a soda bottle into this beacon of light. A playful commentary on desire, perhaps? Curator: Perhaps. One could also say it reflects the transition of public spaces into commercial zones, as well as the aesthetic appeal of these very zones. Editor: Whatever it is, it's like a tiny portal of manufactured yearning, condensed in a six-by-twelve-centimeter frame. Intriguing, isn't it?