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Our American Gothic

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The room in which this photo was taken is decorated exclusively by family portraits. Most are school pictures of our sons, ranging from gap-toothed grammar school boys to awkward adolescence to nearly grown-up senior portraits. There are baby pictures, wedding photos, strip-mall portrait studio mementos and fading images of the long-since deceased from previous generations.

For this month’s prompt, “Mirrors,” we decided to create our own portrait, representing the private side of us that is known only to our readers here. As many of you have recognized, we have a fondness for the creative employment of mirrors — examples here, here, and here — but we chose to play this one straight. A simple pose in a family album frame, that would never be found in a laminated coffee-table keepsake.

Click the lips below to see who else is reflecting this week:

Sinful Sunday

58 thoughts on “Our American Gothic

  1. Kerri

    I saw the title before the picture loaded and for a moment I was really concerned there was going to be a hay fork involved. Glad to see my fears were unfounded. Lovely picture, you two.

    1. H and C Post author

      Probably not what Molly had in mind, but there was a lot of symbolism in play, for us. Thank you!

    1. H and C Post author

      Thank you kindly! Maybe eventually we will go back and post the not-so-tasteful early efforts… 😉

  2. tabitharayne

    Oh I absolutely love this!
    You play so beautifully with the traditional family portrait – the poses are perfect.
    Like you’re in your respectable Sunday Best with no knickers on or something. It’s brilliantly done x x feels so naughty

    1. H and C Post author

      Much appreciated! It was easy to be inspired, while surrounded by so many carefully posed portraits. 🙂

    1. H and C Post author

      Mr. Wood’s piece was the first thing we thought of, when conceptualizing a pose for this. 🙂

        1. H and C Post author

          We do, too! We did some reading about the details, and the way it came together is pretty fascinating.

  3. Molly

    Which is a shame because it would make for a much more interesting coffee table keepsake than most of the ones you see! Beautiful image and I love the contrast between your nakedness and the formality of the poses.

    Mollyxxx

    1. H and C Post author

      Wouldn’t it be something, to have a little photo book just for these types of pictures? Oh, well, we will have to leave it up to the internet to take care of our history. 🙂 Thank you for your thoughts!

  4. Twigs at HundredAcreSub

    Also worried about the pitchforks but love the picture and the family portraiture effect. Really fantastic idea and image.

    1. H and C Post author

      Thank you very kindly! We have some farmhouse/stable ideas for later in the summer, so maybe the pitchfork idea will come back around… 😉

  5. mariasibylla

    This is wonderful! I love your pose and the backstory about this photo being taken in a room of family photos just adds to the allure. I also love the way we can see deep into the rooms of your house, it adds history and reality and weight somehow. Also, the use of the mirror is so subtle, you have to be looking to see that the image is mirror-flipped. Really wonderful!

    1. H and C Post author

      It’s funny about the reflection — We are sitting square in the middle of the room with the portraits, but the photo looks backward, into the foyer and beyond that to a peek into the dining room. It does add a lot of depth! Glad you liked the picture! ~C

  6. Jo

    Is it bad that I kind of wish there *were* a pitchfork in this photo? 😉 It’s a fabulous pose, and you both look great! I don’t know why, but it reminds me of the JC Penney catalogs from the 80s… if those catalogs were a bit more nude. It would make a great (Canon? Nikon?) ad, in any case!

    1. H and C Post author

      Thank you, Jo! We thought the traditional pose and edit would make the concept even more subversive. Family albums so seldom contain an intentional nipple! 😉 ~C

    1. H and C Post author

      Sometimes I forget to accessorize, but I didn’t forget for this one! 🙂 ~C

    1. H and C Post author

      Thank you, Velvet! It’s one of those rare occasions when we knew exactly what we wanted to do! 🙂

    1. H and C Post author

      Thank you, Aiden! This turned out better than we even imagined it! 🙂 ~C

  7. theotherlivvy

    Oh, this is wonderful! It’s so beautifully lit and I love how you have upturned convention. This really is the sort of portrait that should be up on the wall! Xxx

    1. H and C Post author

      We’d love to have a wall to display these! Oh, to have a house to ourselves… 😉

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