Untitled (two police officers riding motorcycles) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, showing two police officers on motorcycles. The reversed tones create an eerie, almost dreamlike effect. What strikes you about it? Curator: Notice how Gould captures these figures in the act of production. The motorcycles, as tools, define not only their labor but also their social presence. How might these machines contribute to a sense of power or control? Editor: That's interesting, I hadn't thought about the motorcycles as tools shaping their identities. It makes me wonder about the labor conditions of police work at the time. Curator: Exactly! The image becomes less about the individual officers and more about the system they represent. It's a powerful commentary on materiality and its impact on social dynamics.