Untitled (children in costumes auditioning for theater, girls dancing) c. 1947

Curator: There's a ghostly charm to this untitled photograph by Jack Gould, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It captures children in costumes, seemingly auditioning for a play. The silver gelatin print is quite small, only about 6x6 cm. Editor: My first thought? A poignant memory struggling to surface. The stark contrast, the almost ethereal glow of the figures—it evokes a sense of fleeting childhood. Curator: The inverted tones do give it a dreamlike quality. What strikes me is the vulnerability of these young performers, poised between innocence and the demanding gaze of the audience. Editor: Exactly. Are they thrilled? Terrified? Probably both. You can almost feel the sticky stage lights and hear the murmur of the crowd. What do you think the theatre meant for these girls? Curator: The theater was a community hub, a place where social norms were reinforced and sometimes challenged. These performances offered a space for self-expression and cultural participation, albeit within certain limitations. Editor: It also offered an early stage for navigating the world of performance and spectacle, which feels both empowering and a bit unsettling. Thanks for sharing your insight. Curator: Indeed. It's a reminder of how public life, even in childhood, is often a carefully constructed performance.