Untitled (two men using typewriter) c. 1950

Curator: This intriguing photograph, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums, is simply titled "Untitled (two men using typewriter)" by Jack Gould. There is no date associated with this image. Editor: It looks like a memory, almost ethereal. The inverted tones give it a ghostly quality, like a half-forgotten story being pulled from the depths. Curator: The lack of detail and the unusual use of a photographic negative makes it read like an X-ray, exposing the inner workings of both the machine and the men, perhaps hinting at the mechanization of thought. Editor: Exactly. I feel a sense of nostalgia, but also a kind of coldness. The typewriter, usually a tool of creativity, is presented here with a clinical distance. Curator: Perhaps Gould is making a statement about labor, about the act of writing becoming a standardized process rather than an individual expression. Editor: It's a thought-provoking piece, making me question the role of technology in shaping human interaction and creativity. It seems to hint at a collective effort of writing, but at the cost of individuality.