Untitled (man giving speech to crowd of people at mock political convention) c. 1955

Editor: This photograph by Jack Gould depicts a man giving a speech to a crowd at a mock political convention. It's a small gelatin silver print, only a couple of inches square. What strikes me is the sheer number of people, and the handmade signs. How do you interpret this work? Curator: The photograph is a material document of political participation, and arguably, manufacture of consent. We see the labor of constructing this political spectacle. Notice the banners – “We Need Adlai Badly” – these were made by someone. The material reality of political advertising reveals the work behind the image. Editor: That's interesting. So, you see the photograph less as a record of an event, and more as a glimpse into the machinery of political messaging? Curator: Precisely. Considering the means of production allows us to examine how political will is constructed and disseminated.