“In the Face of Royalty” reads the headline above the color photo showing a man and a woman. To the left of the picture, we see a middle-aged fellow wearing a suit, white shirt, and striped necktie. His hair is dark and short. He has a VanDyke beard. There is nothing unusual about his appearance. However, he has contorted his face, eyes crossed, nose flattened out and his mouth drawn up into a silly pucker of a grimace. With both hands he is holding onto a large, black leather horse collar that sits atop his head and around his shoulders. To the right, standing a couple of feet from him, dressed in sky blue jacket, blouse and cake-like hat, is an older, white haired woman, looking intently at the fellow. The caption reads: “Queen Elizabeth II comes face to face with the world gurning champion Tommy Mattison on Thursday in Whitehaven, England. Gurning, the art of making grotesque faces, is traditionally done while sticking one’s head through a horse’s collar.” (The Denver Post, 06 June 08).
Certainly the art of gurning has a fascinating history that explains how this activity with a horse collar prop came to be. However, at this point in time, to a fellow viewing this photo in 21st century America, the activity seems simply peculiar. Just like many a sleep dream image.