Untitled (VE Day: crowd of smiling people holding newspapers) 1945

Curator: Jack Gould’s photograph captures a jubilant crowd on VE Day, holding newspapers announcing Germany's surrender, a moment of shared joy, but still, the stark negative print renders it almost ghostly. Editor: There’s a weight to it, despite the smiles. It feels… almost too quiet for such a monumental event. Curator: That's partly the effect of the photographic process, I suppose. The negative form emphasizes the material production and dissemination of news, how this victory was packaged and consumed. Editor: It hits different, knowing what was to come with Japan, though. This image is more about the collective exhale, the moment’s relief before the next battle. Curator: Exactly. It’s a study in the social construction of memory, mass media, and the end of a particular chapter. Editor: Makes you think about how we celebrate endings, and what we choose to remember.