About this object

This family portrait from 1956 shows the difference in photography technology today. For example, this picture of the Flaten family acknowledges the challenge of a self timer, and they’re all posed and coordinated with proper lighting. It reveals the historical change in culture because all of the people are posed and serious, while in today’s society, more “fun” pictures are taken, revealing the change in social norms, but the importance of recording family interaction has stayed consistent. Similar photos of the Flaten family in various locations in Bloomington are in the same archive collection.