Untitled (fraternity dance, couple with pipe and cigar) c. 1950

Curator: This gelatin silver print, attributed to Jack Gould, captures a fraternity dance, showcasing a couple with a pipe and cigar. The print measures just 5.7 x 5.7 cm. Editor: There's something unsettling about this image, beyond the inversion. The props, the clothing, the performative aspects of the party—it feels like a commentary on class and gender roles. Curator: The use of gelatin silver suggests a straightforward documentary approach, but the negative image complicates that. The materiality itself becomes a statement, obscuring details while revealing others. Editor: And what details are revealed? The almost aggressive assertion of identity through these props, the context of a fraternity dance—spaces historically dominated by particular social groups asserting power and privilege. Curator: Perhaps Gould was interested in the performative nature of these social rituals, using the photographic process to highlight the constructedness of these identities. Editor: Exactly. It makes you question whose gaze is centered here, and what power dynamics are at play in this seemingly simple snapshot of a social gathering. Curator: It definitely reframes how we might think about the social rituals captured. Editor: It is a reminder that even in moments of leisure, structures of power are always at play.