AA-2026-21757C
On the image
Someone spent the better part of two days assembling this buffet, and it shows — platters of cold cuts fanned to geometric precision, deviled eggs ranked like small soldiers, a roast bird garnished with enough parsley to suggest a botanical opinion, and a layered molded salad in a shade of green that was considered festive in the 1950s and has not recovered its reputation since. The candelabras and matching urn-style coffee urns at the back signal that whoever hosted this event understood the distinction between a party and a reception, and intended to be on the right side of it. The whole table operates on the decade's central catering theology: that abundance, arranged symmetrically and anchored by protein, constitutes hospitality. A mounted set of antlers on the wall behind the service shelf suggests a lodge, a hunting club, or simply a host who wanted guests to know he had opinions about the outdoors. The camera was deployed before a single plate was touched, because in the 1950s documenting the table before the guests arrived was how you proved the effort was real.
Visually related — by likeness
Elaborate Cold-Cut Buffet Spread, Candlelit Indoor Reception, 1950s. 1950–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-21757C. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/elaborate-cold-cut-buffet-spread-candlelit-indoor-reception-1950s.
@misc{aaAA202621757C,
title = {Elaborate Cold-Cut Buffet Spread, Candlelit Indoor Reception, 1950s},
year = {1950–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-21757C},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/elaborate-cold-cut-buffet-spread-candlelit-indoor-reception-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Elaborate Cold-Cut Buffet Spread, Candlelit Indoor Reception, 1950s PY - 1950–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-21757C UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/elaborate-cold-cut-buffet-spread-candlelit-indoor-reception-1950s ER -
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