Wartime France, Anna vs. Mitchell in the Garden

Unknown

ca. 1917 · Gelatin silver print · Photographs

How does everyday life continue during the madness of war? Behind the superficial sentimentality of a stroll in the garden and an afternoon bicycle ride lies the threatening reality of a world at war. Here, a bombed house serves as an emblem of the destruction visited upon the French countryside. The wood sign, whose indications remain hidden from the camera, implies that the usual sense of things is thwarted in times of conflict and lends a surreal character to the otherwise tranquil scene.

Artist

Unknown

Date

ca. 1917

Medium

Gelatin silver print

Department

Photographs

Credit line

Museum Accession, 1967