Untitled (woman in checkered shirt grinding beef) c. 1960

Curator: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, currently held at the Harvard Art Museums. It measures approximately 12 by 10 centimeters. Editor: It's quite domestic, isn't it? The woman, that bright checkered shirt, all very mid-century kitchen iconography. Curator: Indeed. Observe how Gould captures the labor of food preparation. The hand-crank meat grinder, the raw ingredients...it speaks to a specific time and place of manufacturing and food consumption. Editor: The meat grinder itself could be read as a symbol of transformation, of turning raw materials into something else, something… perhaps more palatable? Curator: Or consider the labor implied by the hand crank – the effort put into everyday tasks, very different from pressing a button on a modern appliance. Editor: I see, so the materiality of the domestic sphere, the apparatus of 1960s kitchen work… Curator: Precisely. It emphasizes the physical processes often hidden in contemporary food culture. Editor: It all feels so…wholesome, despite the raw meat. It almost makes me nostalgic for a time I never knew. Curator: A potent reminder of the unseen work behind the meals on our tables. Editor: It brings an interesting perspective to ordinary life.