Untitled (living room inside model home) c. 1950

Editor: Here we have Jack Gould's photograph, "Untitled (living room inside model home)." It's a black and white image, somewhat small, and gives me a sense of quiet domesticity, but also something unsettling. What do you make of it? Curator: Unsettling is spot on. It's like walking onto a stage set just after the actors have left. Notice the careful arrangement of objects, the way light bounces, it's all a bit too perfect, wouldn't you say? Makes you wonder what story this space is trying to tell. Or conceal. Editor: Exactly! It feels staged, and a little bit eerie now that you mention it. Curator: Yes, the artificiality! Like a mirage of suburban dreams. I wonder, were these homes ever truly lived in? Editor: I never thought about it that way! Thank you! Curator: My pleasure. There's a whole universe of stories in this little snapshot, wouldn’t you agree?