Two women watching television in 1950s living room

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Two women watching television in 1950s living room — Archive & Atlas

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Two women watching television in 1950s living room — Archive & Atlas

Unattributed 1950–1959

AA-2026-D95023

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Two women sit in a living room, their faces illuminated by the glow of a television set, which itself glows with the blue-white light of a broadcast signal that has just begun or is between programs. Behind them, venetian blinds cover the windows in the manner of the era, and a basket of vegetables or household goods sits on a shelf, waiting to be dealt with. The television, a small set with visible controls and legs, is the center of their attention not because they are watching anything in particular but because it is there—a piece of furniture that has only recently justified its cost and its place in the home by promising to deliver the world to them without leaving. They have dressed for the evening, which suggests this is important, which suggests they are not yet accustomed to the casual informality television would eventually demand of its audience. The women are waiting for the broadcast to begin, or perhaps they are waiting for something better to appear, which amounts to the same thing: in the 1950s, television ownership was still an act of faith that entertainment would eventually arrive.

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