Untitled (meal on table, plate with sandwich and mug, seen from above) c. 1950

Curator: This photograph, simply titled “Untitled (meal on table, plate with sandwich and mug, seen from above)” is by Jack Gould, and it presents a rather ordinary scene, wouldn’t you say? Editor: Absolutely, it's a lunch laid out on a table, almost stark in its simplicity. There’s something about the high contrast that gives it a surreal quality. Curator: I find myself wondering about the unseen person who prepared this meal. There’s a quiet intimacy here. Editor: And what about the production of that plate, the glass? The work that goes into our everyday objects is easy to overlook, isn't it? The materiality speaks to a whole chain of labor. Curator: That’s a good reminder. It makes me see the scene with new eyes, almost like a still life but filled with untold stories. Editor: Exactly. The photograph invites us to consider the labor embedded in something as simple as a midday meal. I love it. Curator: So do I.