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I love inside jokes when I'm in on them. When I'm not, they're mostly just confusing and mildly insulting. And yet, there's something oddly entertaining about stumbling across a moment that clearly has a story behind it, even if you have no idea what that story is.
So we put together a list of pictures that raise more questions than they answer. From public signs that might as well be art installations to sports that seem impossible in a time-conscious world, enjoy trying to figure out what’s happening. Or don't. That’s kind of the point.
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#1
Possibly The Best Second Hand Shop Name Ever!
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#2
Romance Display At My Local Barnes & Nobles. I Probably Laughed Too Loud
Even though photographs are usually more literal than paintings, the ones you see on this list resemble what art historians call a problem picture, a genre popular in late Victorian painting, characterized by the deliberately ambiguous depiction of a key moment in a narrative that can be interpreted in several different ways, or which portrays an unresolved dilemma that incites gossip amongst curious viewers.
"These kinds of paintings were major draws at the annual Royal Academy summer exhibitions, designed to be sold, certainly, but also to attract popular and press attention," art historian Pamela Fletcher tells Hyperallergic.
#4
"I'm Sure You're All Wondering Why I've Gathered You Here Today"
#5
Good Luck To Both Of You
One successful artist who mastered the genre was John Collier. The British portraitist painted in a Pre-Raphaelite style and notable examples of his work include 'The Prodigal Daughter' (1903) and 'A Fallen Idol' (1913), which both feature women caught in incomprehensible predicaments that inspired viewers to imagine possible explanations behind the perplexing scenes.
"In the 1890s, Collier painted a number of fairly dramatic subject pictures drawn from history or literature — 'The Laboratory' fits into this category, which also includes scenes of Clytemnestra, Cleopatra, the Borgias, and others," Fletcher adds.
#6
My Friend Went To The Aquarium This Morning And Sent Me This
#8
Thought This Was A Muppet
#9
Babysitting
In 'The Laboratory,' Collier illustrates a scene in which a woman and an apothecary prepare a fatal elixir for her husband's lover. The painting is based on Robert Browning's 1844 poem of the same name, which centers on the true story of French aristocrat Marie-Madeleine d'Aubray, Marquise de Brinvilliers, who was sentenced in 1676 after poisoning her father and two brothers.
When 'The Laboratory' was first unveiled in 1895, it stood out for its purposeful ambiguity, scandalous undertones, and Collier's dramatic use of light, which he often employed as a device to intensify a scene's moral enigma and suspense.
#10
I Need To Invest In Some Socks Myself
#11
Towel Animal Left By The Hotel Staff
#12
Too Much Job
#13
Clippy! Is That You, Old Friend?
Phantom Phoenix 1 month ago
It's sad what's become of Clippy's life... maybe if more of us had accepted his assistance more often, he might've kept his job
"Scholars have sometimes attributed the late 19th-century interest in such scenes of the 'femme fatale' to a reaction against the increasingly visible and powerful feminist movement of the period, as women activists worked to secure the vote and other forms of social and political equality," Fletcher says.
But Collier's paintings, she continues, "showed modern women in ambiguous narrative situations ... inviting viewers to draw their own conclusions about the women's motives, histories and moral choices."
#14
Took This Photo In 2020, And Still Love It
Science Nerd 1 month ago
He appears to be doing quite well at the table. Is he counting cards?
#15
Would Make A Good Book Cover
#16
How To Tell Your Husband You Accidentally Shrank His Favorite Wool Sweater
#17
The Revolution Has Begun
Roxy222uk 1 month ago
Possibly one of my favourite films ever. There’s a stereotype of Europeans (and they get thrown out the window)! Oh, and so many other great bits.
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Phantom Phoenix 1 month ago
Maybe this is a training video to *not* allow your cat to watch...
Much of entertainment in life comes from our brain creating stories and debating possible outcomes, and just like Collier’s problem pictures, today's no-context images leave us to fill the gaps ourselves.
For more, check out 79 Hilarious Pictures That Don’t Explain Themselves And Never Will and 50 “Pictures Of The End” That Raise More Questions Than They Answer.
#18
My Dad Sent Me This Pic Of Him And One Of My Hens
#19
Technically Correct
#20
I Love How Dogs Always Look Like They Understand What The Joke Is
#22
For Weeks We’ve Been Having Issues With A Bird Flying Into This Window. My Daughter’s Nicolas Cage Pillow Solved The Problem
#23
"That's A No From Me," - Dog
#24
Who Loves To Learn?
#25
Penne For Your Thoughts, M’lady
#26
I Put Eyebrows On My Bag... That Is All. Thank You For Your Time
#27
Stairs Down To Pub Toilets - They Know Their Customers!
#28
Convenient Place To Store This Large Garden Statue
#29
I Wanna Be A Cowboy, Baby
#30
Mr. Crab's First Dollar
#31
My Little Niece Thought That Putting Sunglasses And A Hat On My Dog Would Be Really Funny... She Was Correct
#32
You Can't Take The Sky From Me
#33
When Self-Care Turns Into Group Therapy
#34
The Holiday Spirit Mixed With Some Humor
#35
Santa Has Different Priorities After The Christmas Rush
#36
I Met A Very Friendly And Pretty Bird Yesterday. The Camera Doesnt Agree
#37
My Friend Told Me That I Look Like A Popsicle Stick
UnclePanda 1 month ago
I've been the 'Neapolitan tourist'. You go with some level of tan, but it's not what you think and it tans more while it burns, so then you lower the edge of your garment a little, because of the discomfort, revealing fresh white flesh which promptly burns pink, so you lower the edge a bit more and use all of the sunscreen that time and it stays white. All three flavors on one dumb tourist.
#38
I Always Suspected That Anime Mecha Stuff Was Based On Real Life, Too Many Different Shows All So Popular For It To Be Fake
#39
A Friend Of Mine Told Me To Take These And Now I’m On A Whole New Level
#40
You Gotta Wonder, Why They Chose To Tie It To The Roof, When They Have A Mid Size SUV.....
#41
In My College’s Caf And This Happened. Thank You Stranger
#42
An Old Friend Posted This On Their Story
#43
"This Is Dope. I Want Him To Have A Pair Of Shades That Match Exactly" - Dontpanic42tc
#44
Google Maps Image Of A Fertility Clinic In Toronto
#45
Good Pub, I Guess
#46
My Wife Thought I Was Asleep And Came Out Of The Bathroom Looking Like This
#47
This Is A Real Sport, Btw. I Think This One Was Held In Groningen, The Netherlands
#48
The Strongest Bird In The Universe
Haley Sours 1 month ago (edited)
weird how it looks exactly like the freaking picture w*f?! is this real?!
#50
I'm Visiting My Son In Minnesota. Check Out This Pic He Took Of Me At Minnehaha Falls Today
#51
Greater Dog From Undertale
#52
My Drunk Roommate Was "Saving It For Later"
#53
Nice Outfit
ChickenWhisperer39 1 month ago
Had to check a few times before I realized it was a reflection 🤣
#54
What Are Those
#55
A Water Fountain Gifted By Someone Named Sippy
#56
My Dad Sent Me This Pic Saying "Look At My New Office Building"
#57
Silly Tumbleweed, You’re Not A Motor Vehicle
#58
So I Taped A Hanger To My Door, As Was The Style At The Time
Zig Zag Wanderer 1 month ago
This must be some new meaning of the word 'style' I wasn't previously aware of
#59
Took This Pic At The Starbucks Drive-Thru This Afternoon. I've Titled It "Just Tell Them Your Order So I Don't Get It Wrong"
#60
Blursed Powerpuff Girls
#61
Back In The 90's I Was In A Very Famous TV Show
Multa Nocte 1 month ago
I think you'll find that unless there was a movie I didn't know about, this was from the 60s. But please let me know if I missed something.
#62
My Switch Was Too Heavy, So I Got A Lighter One
#63
The Chin On This Guy
#64
Patrick Really Is The Star Of The Show
#65
It Inevitable
#66
Putting The Fun In Funeral
Jessica Daus-Warner 1 month ago
I want the road of my final procession to be lined with these.
#67
Had A One Too Many In The Local Pub
#68
A Crab Walking A Guy Takes Longer Because Both Keep Going Sideways
#69
What Is That Word?
#71
Those Are Weird Looking Dogs
#72
Spiderman - No Way It Holds
Science Nerd 1 month ago
I’ve had to deal with networks this unstable. Always fun and great job security.
#73
I Have A Feeling That There Is A Mask Underneath The Mask He Is Wearing
#74
Snack Pack
#75
I Love How Disappointed The Dog Is
#77
Jollibee Is On Side Quest Now
#78
It’s All Good Sir
#79
Lucky Guy
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Serena Myers 1 month ago
Not relevant at all, but hubs and I are still chuckling (it could have been far worse) We had been working on decluttering the house for a few days and made distinct progress so we decided to treat ourselves to a takeaway. I tried two, both orders were cancelled, presumably lack of drivers, then husband ordered something, and it arrived, but most of the delivery was either missing or replaced with something which we didn't want, and the chips (fries) were cold so husband put them in the microwave to heat and forgot about them so they started burning and the dooberry whatsit that the glass plate in the microwave sits on started burning so now we need a new microwave. That's one heck of an expensive takeaway!
Mike F 1 month ago
Perhaps you two should just do breakfast cereal, you can't burn down your house preparing corn flakes. 😂😂
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Serena Myers 1 month ago
Not relevant at all, but hubs and I are still chuckling (it could have been far worse) We had been working on decluttering the house for a few days and made distinct progress so we decided to treat ourselves to a takeaway. I tried two, both orders were cancelled, presumably lack of drivers, then husband ordered something, and it arrived, but most of the delivery was either missing or replaced with something which we didn't want, and the chips (fries) were cold so husband put them in the microwave to heat and forgot about them so they started burning and the dooberry whatsit that the glass plate in the microwave sits on started burning so now we need a new microwave. That's one heck of an expensive takeaway!
Mike F 1 month ago
Perhaps you two should just do breakfast cereal, you can't burn down your house preparing corn flakes. 😂😂
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