AA-2026-082FC0
On the image
At some point in the evening this man's white shirt acquired a series of stains down the front, and the paper novelty hat that had migrated to the back of his head suggests the party had reached the stage where dignity was no longer being actively defended. He is kissing a woman in a blue satin dress with the committed attention of a man who has decided this is the most important thing happening in the room, which at a 1950s social gathering required a certain social confidence, since someone was always pointing a camera. The woman's pearl necklace and carefully set curls mark this as an occasion she had prepared for, probably several hours' worth of preparation meeting one evening of a man in a paper hat. Someone to the right in a grey suit has turned just enough to suggest awareness without involvement, the universal posture of the person at a party who has decided not to have an opinion about what is happening next to them. The camera caught exactly what the occasion was built around — the point at which the planning ended and the evening began.
Visually related — by likeness
Couple Kissing at 1950s Party, Paper Hat and Spillage. 1952–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-082FC0. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/couple-kissing-at-1950s-party-paper-hat-and-spillage.
@misc{aaAA2026082FC0,
title = {Couple Kissing at 1950s Party, Paper Hat and Spillage},
year = {1952–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-082FC0},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/couple-kissing-at-1950s-party-paper-hat-and-spillage}
}TY - ART TI - Couple Kissing at 1950s Party, Paper Hat and Spillage PY - 1952–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-082FC0 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/couple-kissing-at-1950s-party-paper-hat-and-spillage ER -
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