Untitled (men using high wires to cut and gather logs) c. 1950

Curator: This evocative silver gelatin print is by Jack Gould, its title “Untitled (men using high wires to cut and gather logs)." Editor: It's stark, almost ghostly. The high contrast highlights the raw labor against the skeletal trees. Curator: Indeed, Gould’s process, the darkroom manipulation here, emphasizes the physical effort involved in logging, a strenuous alteration of the natural landscape. Editor: And the scale, so small, invites us to consider the individual worker, seemingly dwarfed by the industrial process unfolding around him, and his place within a changing world. Curator: Precisely. Consider how such imagery shapes public perception of both manual labor and the exploitation, and indeed the consumption, of natural resources. Editor: This image makes you consider the heavy impact on the workers, and the landscape. Curator: Exactly, and that consideration is what makes this piece so valuable.