Untitled (two chimps hugging) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, showing two chimpanzees embracing. It’s a modest 6 x 6 cm gelatin silver print from the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: My first thought is tenderness, even vulnerability, in this stark, almost ghostly, black and white image. Curator: The photographic negative really foregrounds the material process itself, doesn’t it? Look at the surrounding detritus of the darkroom. Editor: But the image itself suggests a universal theme, this very human-like connection. Are they mother and child? Siblings? It speaks to primal bonds. Curator: Right, but think about the setting - there’s that tent in the background; were these animals part of a circus? We should consider their position within a larger system. Editor: Perhaps. But doesn't the act of embracing transcend such exploitation, reminding us of shared emotions? Curator: Maybe. Understanding the making of it, and the context, informs our understanding of its subjects, and challenges any idealization of their relationship. Editor: Perhaps both aspects deepen the work. It is a simple and elegant image. Curator: Yes, that tension between material reality and symbolic weight provides it with a lot of power.