Untitled (exterior of one story house) c. 1950

This "Untitled" photograph of a one-story house was made by Robert Burian, and is now held in the Harvard Art Museums. Looking at this inverted image, one might consider the dream of suburban living and the single-family home. Post-World War II, this vision was heavily marketed and subsidized, promising a slice of the American dream. But this dream wasn't accessible to everyone. Redlining and discriminatory housing policies systematically excluded people of color from these opportunities, reinforcing racial and economic divides. The quiet, almost eerie stillness of Burian's image, in its inverted state, makes one question ideas of home, inclusion, and the hidden realities beneath the surface of the American dream. It prompts us to reflect on who was included, who was excluded, and the legacy of those decisions still felt today.