Takeaways

Through looking through the article “The Lens of Race: Whiteness and Architectural Photography at Case Study House #22”, I found the authors main argument to be how architecture photography can show glimpses into different social factors represented in interiors at the time they were taken. Specifically, the authors main concept they analyze is how these photographs can promote a specific “reality”, revealing and reinforcing racial issues. Throughout the article, the author gave two key examples that strengthened their argument.

The first example is how the Case Study Project aimed to bring higher living standards to the masses. The problem with this is that most middle-class homeowners at the time were assumed to be white, due to years of redlining. As a result of this, the famous image of the Case Study House #22 still carries that assumed reality to it, even if the original intention wasn’t malicious. The second example to author give is the choice of including the two white women in the photograph. Having this feature added to the image shows another underlying meaning, with the women being elevated in the seemingly perfect home overlooking the chaotic streets of Los Angeles.

Application

Past Case

Figure #1: A curtain ad using an image of a living room.
House Beautiful, 1919, p.125 A
Everybody’s Planning New Curtains This Fall

For my past example, I chose a curtain ad from the 1919 edition of the House Beautiful magazine. When looking at the image used for this advertisement, there were some immediate similarities to the Case Study House from the reading. The first obvious one is the use of white women as the main subjects. This leads back to the same specific reality that is being shown in the Case Study House. However, looking closer at the image, it is also important to consider the context of women being used for this curtain ad, as this further shows the reality of women overseeing the decorating of the interior.

Current Case

Figure #2: Image of a home overlooking a landscape.
Photo from apalmanac.com

For my current example, I chose a modern-day showcase of the similar themes being shown in the Case Study House. In this image, the elevated view is being shown, giving the feeling of the homeowner being in higher power than the outside landscape. One big difference here is that instead of a city, this architecture photograph uses nature. This shows that while there is a shift in what these photographs are trying to invoke, there are still some similarities.