Untitled (man and woman sitting on opposite sides of desk) 1954

Editor: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, showing a man and woman at a desk. It feels like a snapshot of office life, but what do you see in this piece? Curator: It is indeed, and the labor is clear. I see a material negotiation. The desk itself, the papers, the photographic process—it's all about production. What social context allowed this image to be captured? Was it posed, or a candid moment of labor? Editor: I hadn’t considered the desk as a commentary on labor itself, fascinating! It's such a commonplace object, but it really shapes the scene. Curator: Exactly! And the choice of photography itself, a reproducible medium, underscores the industrialization of image-making and how labor is depicted. I find it provocative.