Untitled (baby fawns and cow) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have Jack Gould’s untitled photograph of baby fawns nursing from a cow. It’s a small gelatin silver print. I’m struck by the unexpected juxtaposition of the wild and domestic. What's your interpretation? Curator: I see a careful staging. The means of production here – photography, a process reliant on industrial chemistry – is used to create an image seemingly pastoral, yet entirely manufactured. Note the unnatural proximity of the cow and fawns. It speaks to human intervention and manipulation of nature for the camera, and potentially, consumption. Editor: So, you’re saying the act of taking the photo is itself a form of control? Curator: Precisely. The labor involved, from raising the animals to processing the print, becomes part of the artwork's narrative, revealing a complex relationship between nature and industrial society. Editor: I never thought of it that way. It’s more than just a cute picture. Curator: Exactly! It's about uncovering the hidden layers of production and context.