Untitled (antelopes at the zoo) c. 1950

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, housed here at the Harvard Art Museums. The modest dimensions, just six by twelve centimeters, belie its subject: antelopes at the zoo. Editor: The grainy texture really emphasizes the bleakness of the scene. It feels less like a celebration of nature and more like a document of confinement. Curator: Exactly. Consider the conditions of production: gelatin silver process. The labor to create it. The cost of materials like Kodak safety film. It reflects the accessibility of photography at the time, and its use in both documentation and artistic expression. Editor: And the zoo itself is a socio-political construct. Think about the power dynamics implicit in displaying these animals for human consumption. The politics of spectatorship are palpable here. Curator: That's a good point. These antelopes, likely sourced through colonial trade, are now commodities of visual culture. Editor: It prompts us to consider our own role in this system, doesn't it? Curator: Indeed. Examining its making deepens our understanding.