Untitled (display of cigarette boxes inside store) c. 1950

Curator: The Harvard Art Museums hold this image, an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, showing a store display of cigarette boxes. Editor: It's a poignant still life, capturing a moment of wartime scarcity and societal priorities. Curator: Indeed, note the sign referencing "the boys in the fighting forces," implying that cigarettes are being rationed, and that soldiers come first. Editor: The cigarette boxes themselves are intriguing. Each brand employs distinct visual symbols – figures, landscapes, evocative names. “Longfellow Twins”, “Murad”, “Hassan”—they speak volumes about marketing and cultural aspirations of the time. Curator: These brands were carefully curated to appeal to different demographics. The image reveals a consumer landscape shaped by war but still striving for normalcy. Editor: It's a humble image, yet it opens a window into the emotional landscape of a nation at war, where even a cigarette display carries profound social meaning.