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What do you see that seems to be wrong in this photograph?
A couple of weeks ago, as I was out for a photo walk in the small, but very charming and historical downtown of Lewisburg, West Virginia, I spotted this little scene and decided to make a photograph or two. I like subject matter that are throwbacks to an earlier time and this old door, lockset and shutter fit that bill perfectly.
While making my images I was concentrating on various compositions and I didn't really look at the scene closely but after I returned home and I looked at this image on my computer monitor in Lightroom Classic, it hit me. In fact, it jumped right out at me! This is all wrong!
This is an outside scene with a large, heavy, paneled, wooden exterior door, wooden shutter and brick veneer on the building. It appears to me that the locks would have been originally installed on the 'inside' of a door. Both the top lock with its twist knob to unlock it and the bottom one as well with its visible screws to remove it from the door render these two devices ineffective for their intended purpose. It wouldn't make any sense at all to mount either of these on the outside of a door. But then again who knows, our world is getting crazier and crazier.
I found it curious that whomever 'decorated' this building chose to mount 'inside' locks on the outside. Then I started wondering just how many people who have seen this actually realized that fact? I know I didn't until I sat, looked at my image on my computer and started to edit it. I had initially only given it enough attention to decide my composition and press the shutter button. Then, I was off looking for another composition.
The world just gets "Curiouser and curiouser!" as did cry Alice in Lewis Carroll's novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland published in 1865.
Just a fun post today for your pleasure!
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Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
Dennis A. Mook
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Not to mention that there is no "strike" for the upper lock. There was nothing for the bolt to engage. :-)
ReplyDeleteNo strike for the lower lock either. Definitely just decorative. :-)
DeleteIt is possible the door has reversed, and what was the interior facing lockset is now on the outside left of the door rather than the inside right.
ReplyDeleteI'll ask my wife. She has done that to two doors of our house. However, here the locksets are now on the inside as they should be. I am not going to try to explain why the doors have been reversed. There is no good explanation for some things.
Looks to me like the door has just been opened all the way back against the wall.
ReplyDeleteDave Jenkins
Dave, thanks for chiming in. The door was clearly decorative. It was the age, texture and materials that attracted me to photograph this small portion of the door.
Delete