Clarence John Laughlin (American/Louisiana, 1905-1985), "The Guardian (Oak Alley Plantation)", 1946, silver gelatin print mounted to board, signed and titled lower margin of backing board, print date (June 22, 1946), negative and batch number in Laughlin's hand en verso of backing board, 19 3/16 in. x 13 15/16 in., framed. Ill., Laughlin, Clarence John. Ghosts along the Mississippi. New York: American Legacy Press, revised edition 1987, pl. 53. Ill.; Laughlin, Clarence John. Ghosts along the Mississippi. New York: American Legacy Press, revised edition 1987, pl. 53. Note: Clarence John Laughlin has often been credited as the first surrealist photographer working in the United States. Frequently misunderstood, he sought to use the camera not as “a recording device” but as “an extension of the 3rd eye.” Laughlin developed an interest in architecture, while working as a photographer for the United States Engineering Office located in the French Quarter of New Orleans. He combined this realist and formal form of photography with Surrealism, Symbolism, Romanticism and his love of literature to create images that are in turn mysterious, beautiful and bizarre; often employing enigmatic titles to enhance the etherealness of the images. Most famously are his photos of decaying plantation homes of the South. These images embody one of his main artistic aims - to show the links of human consciousness with material reality. These plantations symbolically embody the fears, desires and compulsions of the Old South that linger into the present day. Equally important is the historic preservation aspect of the photos, as many of the ruins photographed by Laughlin are now completely gone - leaving only these images as an important historical record. Laughlin’s ultimate goal with his art was to elevate the ruined buildings beyond mere objects and find the human lives caught within them: “My desire is to create a purely visual poetry…to probe the intangible psychological jungle in which every object is enmeshed.” Ref.: Parr, Leslie Gale. “Clarence John Laughlin.” 64 Parishes Encyclopedia of Louisiana. Oct. 21, 2016. www.64parishes.org. Accessed Oct. 14, 2019