Untitled (young girl sitting on duffel bags) 1947

Editor: This silver gelatin print by Jack Gould shows a young girl sitting on duffel bags. The figures surrounding her give the impression of a transient space. What story do you think this work is trying to tell? Curator: The duffel bags, the number stenciled on them, suggest displacement, perhaps even forced migration. Notice how the child is centered, but framed by adults, creating a visual tension. What does it mean to see childhood innocence juxtaposed with themes of instability and movement? Editor: That's a great point. I hadn't considered the bags as a signifier of displacement. The girl seems to be lost in her world, oblivious to her surroundings. Curator: Exactly. Gould seems to be questioning the impact of larger socio-political events on the most vulnerable. It invites us to reflect on whose stories are being told and whose are being ignored. Editor: I'll never look at this photo the same way again. Thank you for sharing such a new perspective.