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Seeing Shadows

Shadow Lands

Shadow Lands

“To think of shadows," Victor Hugo wrote in his great novel, Les Miserables, "is a serious thing.” Hugo, of course, was addressing vast concepts -- justice, memory, vengeance -- both in the book and in that particular quote. But the beauty of shadows is that they can be so many things: symbols, suggestions, riddles, jokes, threats. They can be anything, or they can simply be themselves -- which is a central reason why they're so cool. Pictured: A handmade Shaker basket sitting on the floor amid a grid of shadows in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky.

Photo: John Loengard./Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images

Jan 01, 1967
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