Two Ginger Cats Playing with String on a Porch, 1950s

Archive & AtlasEstablished · MMXXIII

Two Ginger Cats Playing with String on a Porch, 1950s — Archive & Atlas

An interpretation of depth — not a measured reconstruction

Depth is precomputed and interpretive — the scene falls back to the flat image where a browser can't render it.

Two Ginger Cats Playing with String on a Porch, 1950s — Archive & Atlas

Unattributed 1950–1959

AA-2026-CF1281

The Archivist

Ask about this image

Archivist

Step into the scene

Off by default. Turning it on lets the image respond to your cursor with a shallow sense of depth, rebuilt from a depth map computed when the image was catalogued. It is an interpretation for looking, not a measured 3D model — and it falls back to the flat image where the browser can't render it.

On the image

Somewhere in postwar domestic America, a ginger cat has flattened itself against a concrete porch and taken a thin cord with absolute seriousness, the way cats have always treated string — as a problem that must be solved immediately and completely, regardless of whether it is actually a problem. A second cat at the edge of the scene is presumably the other end of whatever dispute this is. In the 1950s, cats lived largely outdoors, were fed table scraps, and were not taken to the vet unless they were visibly dying, which suited both parties reasonably well. Nobody photographed the cat because it was a pet so much as because someone had a camera loaded and the cat happened to be doing something. The cord is taut, the cat's eyes are half-closed with concentration, and nothing about this moment suggested to anyone involved that it would still be worth looking at seventy years later.

From the community

Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.

No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.

Visually related — by likeness

Long-haired Cream Tabby Cat on Concrete Step, American Backyard, 1950s

1950–1959

Chained Mountain Lion, Arid Southwest, 1930s

1950–1959

Backyard Kitten at the Tree Roots, 1950s

1950–1959

Backyard Tomcat in Late Sun, 1950s

1950–1959

Ginger Longhair Cat in Window Sunpatch, Domestic Interior, 1950s

1950–1959

Ginger Long-Haired Cat Sunbathing on Parlor Rug, 1950s

1950–1959

Dog and Photographer's Shadow, Hillside Encounter, Mid-20th Century

1950–1965

Samoyed in Deep Snow, 1950s Winter Backyard

1950–1959

Siamese Cat in Suburban Backyard, USA, 1950s

1950–1959

Samoyed at Outdoor Dog Show, United States, 1950s

1950–1959

Captive Lion, Mid-20th Century Zoo or Menagerie

1940–1970

Girl Holding Kittens, Suburban Backyard, 1950s

1950–1959