Untitled (woman in tuxedo jacket, short shorts, and fishnet stockings carrying tea service) c. 1950s

Robert Burian made this gelatin silver print, "Untitled (woman in tuxedo jacket, short shorts, and fishnet stockings carrying tea service)", sometime in the twentieth century. Burian's photograph plays with societal norms, particularly those relating to gender and class. In it, the woman’s attire is a mixture of the masculine and feminine, and formal and informal. In particular, the tuxedo jacket is subverted by the addition of the shorts and stockings. The woman's gesture of carrying a tea service is also notable. Tea services are associated with the upper classes, and historically, the person serving would have been a member of the domestic staff. However, here the woman's attire suggests she is a burlesque dancer, blurring the lines between servant and served. When we view art, it is essential that we consider its cultural context. If we examine this image through the lens of social and institutional history, we can start to understand how it reflects the changing social mores of its time.