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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Two: Travel Incongruities > Foursome, Madison Square Park, New York City, New York, 2010
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15-JUL-2010

Foursome, Madison Square Park, New York City, New York, 2010

I saw an opportunity to express numerous incongruities in this image. A stroller for four seems so much more crowded than the normal stroller for one. The diverse nature of the image is incongruous to begin with, and probably implies that the huge stroller belongs to a daycare center of some kind. The fact that one child emphatically slumbers, while the others vary in their responses, is also strongly incongruous. (We also might also think about what might have happened to the missing sandal at lower left!) I abstract the Nanny pushing the stroller, leaving the viewer to wonder how she must be reacting at the moment. Finally, the bright red stroller dominates the image, and calls special attention to the sleeping child, who also wears red.

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Phil Douglis06-May-2018 23:02
Yes, I mentioned that missing pink sandal in my caption. It is the key to the image for me, the incongruity that speaks most vividly of care free (or careless) childhood.
Merri 05-May-2018 23:51
If the little girl on the left was not wearing her one shoe, this photo would seem less incongruous to me. That darn missing shoe just sidetracks me entirely, adorable little sleeper on the right not withstanding.
Phil Douglis11-Aug-2010 22:43
Thanks, Tim -- the faces of babies have always been a sure-fire way of attracting attention to advertisements or editorial material. These faces reminded me of innate curiosity that children of this age usually display.
Tim May11-Aug-2010 17:10
Somehow this reminds me of a series of advertisements, or books of funniness from the 50's or 60's that had baby faces with comic book quotes - wonderful image.
Phil Douglis08-Aug-2010 20:24
Yes, it offers a nod to New York's diverse population. All of them share a common sense of confinement here, just as New Yorker's do in general. And each child does its own thing at the moment. The red offers a jolt of energy, very much like the atmosphere of the city itself. Thanks for noting these points, Rose.
sunlightpix08-Aug-2010 19:38
New York City in microcosm; crowded, diverse, and colorful.
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