Untitled (couple dancing the jitterbug; man dipping his partner) 1946

Curator: Here we have an untitled image by Jack Gould, preserved at the Harvard Art Museums. It depicts a couple dancing the jitterbug, captured in what appears to be a moment of a dramatic dip. Editor: The high contrast immediately makes me think about visibility, who is seen and how, especially with the racial dynamics of dance during that era. There's an undeniable energy here. Curator: Indeed. Gould's work often captures everyday life, but it's important to remember the historical context. Dance halls, while spaces of joy, were also often sites of racial and social contestation. Editor: Right, access and representation were fraught. The image’s composition, the sweeping lines of their bodies, almost suggests a defiance of those constraints, wouldn't you say? Curator: That’s a compelling reading. We can see how even in a seemingly simple photograph, complex power dynamics are at play. Editor: Exactly, and considering Gould’s position as the photographer, whose gaze are we really seeing? Curator: A lot to unpack here in a single snapshot, and that tension is what makes this image so enduring. Editor: Absolutely, it invites us to think about the stories we tell, and whose stories get told.