AA-2026-76C437
On the image
A man sits apart from the two women at the picnic table, absorbed in a newspaper at a backyard summer gathering — which in the 1950s was a socially acceptable thing to do at a family party, because the newspaper was still a serious object that conferred serious purpose. The women sit at the table with the folded-arm patience of people who have accepted this arrangement. A blue thermos stands at the center of the table, the decade's universal signal that someone planned ahead. Children move freely in the background, toward a swing set and a neighbor's yard, in the era before any adult felt the need to be within arm's reach of them at all times. The man has not looked up, and nothing in his posture suggests he intends to.
Visually related — by likeness
Backyard Gathering, Man Reading Newspaper, 1950s. 1953–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-76C437. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/backyard-gathering-man-reading-newspaper-1950s.
@misc{aaAA202676C437,
title = {Backyard Gathering, Man Reading Newspaper, 1950s},
year = {1953–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-76C437},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/backyard-gathering-man-reading-newspaper-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Backyard Gathering, Man Reading Newspaper, 1950s PY - 1953–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-76C437 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/backyard-gathering-man-reading-newspaper-1950s ER -
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