Caught Our Eyes: You See the Strangest Things…

Reference specialist Marilyn Ibach spotted this scene among the thousands of photographs Carol M. Highsmith has taken in her project to document America.

Marilyn’s comment:

The immediate outline against the sky of a dinosaur skeleton, juxtaposed with a coy title that doesn’t confirm what you are seeing, makes you zoom in for a closer  look, followed by a laugh. The skeleton man (a caveman?) is carrying an axe! And, he is holding a lead, as if walking a large dog. But that dog is a Tyrannosaurus Rex. It’s a humorous roadside attraction, whimsically captured by Highsmith.

Learn more:

• View the Carol M. Highsmith Archive and read about her project.
• Revisit the Picture This blog post about other roadside attractions that have caught our eyes: Coffee and Donuts, Anyone?
• Take a look at the results of a search for “roadside” in the Prints & Photographs Online Catalog–quite an array of sights have been visible to travelers in every era!