Untitled (eggs and bacon on griddle) c. 1950

Robert Burian created this gelatin silver print of eggs and bacon on a griddle, but when is unknown. Looking at this photograph, we can see that it is an image of plenty and excess. The photo pictures a full breakfast spread with bacon, eggs, toast, and coffee laid out. We can ask: is this American abundance or is it an ironic comment on it? Certainly, the black and white medium forces us to see a social commentary. Is the artist critiquing 20th-century consumerism? If this photograph had been in color, would the message be different? Art historians delve into the social context of an artwork. We use resources such as period newspapers, advertisements, and other publications to gain a deeper understanding of its time. It is only through understanding the context that we can understand the artwork.