AA-2026-840CCC
On the image
Two ducks are caught in the act of locomotion near a body of water, their webbed feet moving with a determination usually reserved for important human tasks. They seem to be going somewhere specific, or perhaps just anywhere that isn't where they just were.
One duck, a pristine white model, leads with an air of understated authority, while its mottled companion follows, perhaps content with a less prominent role in the day's itinerary. Their journey, presumably, involves finding more food or a slightly different patch of weeds.
It's the kind of purposeful activity that suggests profound decision-making, though the ultimate goal is likely just another iteration of being a duck. The photographer captured this crucial moment of avian transit in the 1970s, forever preserving their commitment to minor errands.
The historian's note
The image depicts two domesticated ducks, one a white Pekin-type and the other a mottled brown variant, walking along the bank of a pond or slow-moving water. This type of casual outdoor photography, focusing on common animals in natural or semi-natural settings, was a prevalent theme in amateur and semi-professional photography during the 1970s.
The photograph provides a simple record of everyday life and the interactions, or lack thereof, between humans and local wildlife in a suburban or rural context of the period. It reflects a common photographic impulse to document the immediate surroundings.
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Visually related — by likeness
Two Ducks by a Pond, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-840CCC. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/two-ducks-by-a-pond-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026840CCC,
title = {Two Ducks by a Pond, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-840CCC},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/two-ducks-by-a-pond-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Two Ducks by a Pond, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-840CCC UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/two-ducks-by-a-pond-1970s ER -
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