AA-2026-F0AD04
On the image
Two men in white T-shirts and high-waisted slacks have paused in the middle of a summer picnic to stage a mock duel with a hammer and its handle, both grinning in the way men do when they have discovered a bit that will definitely land. The 1950s outdoor family gathering had a strict dramaturgy: women organized the food tables in the background, children were kept near the carriage, and the men found something heavy to fool around with. The man holding the hammer aloft is clearly the straight man who believes he is actually funny, a category that has never gone extinct. Behind them the full apparatus of the era's leisure is deployed — the folding chair, the pram with its deep coach body, the cloth-covered tables — everyone stationed exactly where the decade expected them to be. The camera caught the joke at its peak, which is the moment just before everyone agrees it was pretty good.
Visually related — by likeness
Two Men and a Hammer, Backyard Picnic, 1950s. 1953–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-F0AD04. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/two-men-and-a-hammer-backyard-picnic-1950s.
@misc{aaAA2026F0AD04,
title = {Two Men and a Hammer, Backyard Picnic, 1950s},
year = {1953–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-F0AD04},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/two-men-and-a-hammer-backyard-picnic-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Two Men and a Hammer, Backyard Picnic, 1950s PY - 1953–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-F0AD04 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/two-men-and-a-hammer-backyard-picnic-1950s ER -
From the community
Identifications, corrections, and discussion from readers — reviewed by a librarian before appearing here.
Sign in to add an identification, correction, or comment.
No notes yet — be the first to add what you know about this image.