AA-2026-70CDC5
On the image
A girl of about eight sits in front of the family Christmas tree on what is plainly Christmas Eve, still in her pajamas because that was the ritual: you were put to bed early and photographed first. The tree behind her is buried under lead tinsel applied strand by strand, the way the magazines instructed and the way no one has done it since, because the magazines eventually stopped and also because lead. At the base of the tree a small nativity set holds its position amid the drifts of artificial snow, sharing square footage with the tree as if the two traditions had simply agreed to coexist without discussion. The girl's hands are folded in her lap with the patience of a child who has been told to sit still exactly once and understood that this would take a moment. By morning the presents would appear and the tinsel would be everywhere else, and no one would ever fully get it all back onto the tree.
Visually related — by likeness
Christmas Eve in Pajamas, Tinsel Tree, 1950s. 1953–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-70CDC5. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/christmas-eve-in-pajamas-tinsel-tree-1950s.
@misc{aaAA202670CDC5,
title = {Christmas Eve in Pajamas, Tinsel Tree, 1950s},
year = {1953–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-70CDC5},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/christmas-eve-in-pajamas-tinsel-tree-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Christmas Eve in Pajamas, Tinsel Tree, 1950s PY - 1953–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-70CDC5 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/christmas-eve-in-pajamas-tinsel-tree-1950s ER -
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