Untitled (bathroom in model home, floral shower curtain) c. 1950

Editor: This gelatin silver print by Jack Gould shows us a bathroom in a model home. The floral shower curtain feels so out of place, almost sad, in this sterile environment. What do you see in this photograph? Curator: The staged domesticity is fascinating, isn't it? It feels like a time capsule. But there's a tension here – the forced cheerfulness of the floral print against the cold, hard lines of the bathroom. It makes you wonder, what kind of life is being sold here? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way. It's like the photo is asking us if happiness can be bought. Curator: Exactly! And isn't that the question we're always asking ourselves? Food for thought indeed.