Untitled (exterior of house and garage) c. 1950

Robert Burian made this gelatin silver print, "Untitled (exterior of house and garage)," and it’s now held at the Harvard Art Museums. The image itself isn’t especially remarkable; it’s a classic suburban home, complete with a garage, captured in stark black and white. However, it’s the very ordinariness that makes it a fascinating document of American social history. Think about the rise of suburbia in the post-World War II era in the United States. Government policies, economic prosperity, and a desire for a specific kind of domestic life fueled the growth of these communities. The image invites questions about the American dream, the role of the single-family home, and the cultural values associated with this particular kind of architecture. Photographs such as this offer a unique lens through which to examine our own assumptions about home, community, and belonging. Art historical research relies on visual analysis and the study of social trends to better understand artworks like this one.