Untitled (children standing on table at Christmas party) 1948

Robert Burian made this 4x5 inch photograph of children standing on a table at a Christmas party, but the date of its creation is unknown. As a photographic negative, it presents a kind of distorted mirror image of the world, which reverses light and shadow. That technique gives it a hallucinatory quality, which is appropriate for the topsy-turvy world of a children’s party. Yet the presence of watchful adults reminds us that this is a carefully managed form of play, one that reflects particular social conventions. What are the origins of Christmas parties? What class status do they presuppose? The historian finds answers to questions like these by consulting diverse sources, learning about the social and economic history of photography itself, and by reflecting on the changing institutional role of the museum in presenting images from the past.