Untitled (animal in cage at zoo) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It depicts an animal in a cage at a zoo. It’s quite small, only about 6 by 24 centimeters. Editor: My first thought? Melancholy. The starkness of the black and white, the bars, that slightly dejected-looking okapi. It’s a visual poem about confinement. Curator: The okapi itself is fascinating, a creature of mythic quality with those zebra-like stripes on its legs. It’s a powerful symbol of nature held captive, a poignant reminder of our relationship with the wild. Editor: Absolutely, and the composition emphasizes that. The zoo worker is also in the photo but he does not engage with the okapi. The bars are a constant visual echo of restriction. Curator: It really makes you think about what we project onto animals, doesn't it? The zoo setting, a kind of modern-day ark, and the expectations of human observation. Editor: The image certainly stirs up complex emotions. It is simultaneously beautiful and heartbreaking. This image of this creature, an okapi, in confinement is not easily forgotten.