Untitled (girl lying down reading book on couch) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have Jack Gould's small, undated photograph, "Untitled (girl lying down reading book on couch)." The negative creates a ghostly, almost surreal, scene of domesticity. What strikes you about this work? Curator: I'm drawn to the materiality of the image itself. Consider the "Kodak Safety Film" strip visible along the edge, highlighting the very means of its production. How does this self-referential element alter our perception of the scene? Editor: It makes me think about the labor involved, not just in the subject's life, but also in the photograph's creation. Curator: Precisely. And notice the contrast between the seemingly candid pose and the highly mediated process of capturing it. Where do we locate the "real" within this construction? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way before. The layers of production are fascinating to consider.