Untitled (man applying make-up and fake eyelashes to woman's face) c. 1960

Editor: This is an untitled photograph by Jack Gould, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It depicts a man applying makeup to a woman. The image has a very intimate and personal feel. What symbols or cultural meanings do you see in this photograph? Curator: The act of applying makeup can be seen as a ritual of transformation, not unlike the donning of a mask in ancient theater. Notice the gendered aspect – a man applying makeup to a woman. Does this invert traditional roles, or reinforce them? The eyelashes themselves become symbols of artifice and heightened femininity. Editor: That's fascinating. I hadn’t considered the performative aspect of it all. Curator: Consider the image’s visual economy and how that contributes to its meaning. Are we meant to interpret it as glamorous, or something more vulnerable? Editor: I think I see it as both now. Thanks for pointing that out.