Reclamefoto met serviezen en keukengerei van de firma C. Read & Co., Baltimore, Maryland 1920 - 1930

This photograph of glass serving ware was made in Baltimore, sometime in the early 20th century. The dark background makes the clear glass pop, and you can see the etched starburst designs. There's a funny contrast between the slick ad and the domesticity of the wares. The arrangement of the items suggests the rhythm of still life. Look at the way the light catches on the edges of each piece, a soft glow that almost makes them float. It's all about surface, and the promise of utility. I wonder about the photographer, probably a commercial artist, who made these utilitarian objects glimmer with simple shapes. I think of the simple shapes in paintings by Giorgio Morandi. You can almost see him here, squinting at the light and composing another humble still life.