AA-2026-5DA0D7
On the image
A woman sits in a motel room painted the specific shade of turquoise that the American South deployed in the 1950s with the confidence of a decorating movement, certain it would never look dated. She has arranged herself in a wicker chair between two beds and a suitcase, which is the posture of someone who has just arrived somewhere warm and is being photographed to prove it. The tropical painting on the wall — a palm tree, a figure — was almost certainly provided by the motel to complete the atmosphere, a genre of art that existed entirely to tell guests they were on vacation. Her pearl necklace is on, because in the 1950s a woman wore her pearls to travel, to be photographed, and in all other situations in which she wished to appear to be taking things seriously. The red vanity case on the bed is the one item she packed herself and brought for its own reasons, and it is the only thing in the room that did not come with the room.
Visually related — by likeness
Woman in a Turquoise Motel Room, Florida, 1950s. 1953–1959. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-5DA0D7. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/woman-in-a-turquoise-motel-room-florida-1950s.
@misc{aaAA20265DA0D7,
title = {Woman in a Turquoise Motel Room, Florida, 1950s},
year = {1953–1959},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-5DA0D7},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/woman-in-a-turquoise-motel-room-florida-1950s}
}TY - ART TI - Woman in a Turquoise Motel Room, Florida, 1950s PY - 1953–1959 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-5DA0D7 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/woman-in-a-turquoise-motel-room-florida-1950s ER -
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