--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Photos always seem to exist as sort of…" description: "\"Photos always seem to exist as sort of stuffy, unnecessary antiques that we put in a drawer — unless we take them out, put them in current dialogue, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/mark-klett-50743_antiques_photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-s_2292208.png" --- # Photos always seem to exist as sort of stuffy, unnecessary… ![“Photos always seem to exist as sort of stuffy, unnecessary antiques that we put in a drawer — unless we take them out, put them in current dialogue, and give them relevance.” quote by Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/mark-klett-50743_antiques_photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-s_2292208.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/mark-klett-50743_antiques_photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-s_2292208.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/mark-klett-50743_antiques_photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-s_2292208.png) > “Photos always seem to exist as sort of stuffy, unnecessary antiques that we put in a drawer — unless we take them out, put them in current dialogue, and give them relevance.” [Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Photographs become irrelevant when stored away; they gain meaning when integrated into present conversations and contexts. **In simple terms:** Photos need to be used now to stay meaningful. Key Takeaway Share old photos in current discussions. Themes memory relevance communication Mood reflective nostalgic Type cultural educational When to use this quote - family gatherings - social media posts - museum exhibits - personal storytelling Key Concepts archival practice contextualization Questions to Reflect On - How can you make old photos speak to today’s issues? - What contexts give photos new life? A Different Perspective If the audience isn’t engaged, the photo may still feel irrelevant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antiques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiques/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Relevance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relevance/) ## Related quotes > [It also makes me worry about photos of me that exist that I might not even know about. How do I appear in these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-murray/it-also-makes-me-worry-about-photos-of-me-that-exist-that-i-might-not/) [Keith Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keith-murray/) > [We outgrow love like other things and put it in a drawer, till it an antique fashion shows like costumes grandsires wore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/we-outgrow-love-like-other-things-and-put-it-in-a-drawer-till-it-an/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I think Bergman's films have eternal relevance, because they deal with the difficulty of personal relationships and lack of communication between people and religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-think-bergman-s-films-have-eternal-relevance-because-they-deal-with/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I shop at thrift stores a lot. I have a lot of silver pitchers and I put my flowers in those. I collect antiques,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/i-shop-at-thrift-stores-a-lot-i-have-a-lot-of-silver-pitchers-and-i/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [Thou fool! Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom; that idle crag thou sittest on is six thousand years of age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/thou-fool-nature-alone-is-antique-and-the-oldest-art-a-mushroom-that/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I think when you get interested in antiques, the most frustrating thing is that books don't have enough photos. When you go to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-miller/i-think-when-you-get-interested-in-antiques-the-most-frustrating/) [Judith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-miller/) > [I was being ridiculed for going to school... But, you see, I had looked hard at the other musicians and the whole show-business scene...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-byrd/i-was-being-ridiculed-for-going-to-school-but-you-see-i-had-looked/) [Donald Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-byrd/) > [“The problem: If you've an antique for sale, then, sad to relate, the world isn't your oyster. It's not that easy. Even if somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gash/the-problem-if-you-ve-an-antique-for-sale-then-sad-to-relate-the/) [Jonathan Gash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gash/) > [When I find something at a flea market or an antique store, it feels more special and I'm more inclined to want to wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/when-i-find-something-at-a-flea-market-or-an-antique-store-it-feels/) [Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/) > [I had already done a lot of research for Rough Riders, keeping notebooks and old photographs. Some of the books were antiques for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-berenger/i-had-already-done-a-lot-of-research-for-rough-riders-keeping/) [Tom Berenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-berenger/) > [LAOCOON, n. A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [ It was when Boston invited us to do a parade one November, and I was the only \[Star Wars\] cast member skeptical of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/it-was-when-boston-invited-us-to-do-a-parade-one-november-and-i-was/) [John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/) > [“The Nazi salute was performed by public officials in the USA from 1892 through 1942. The researcher Dr. Rex Curry asks 'What happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micky-barnetti/the-nazi-salute-was-performed-by-public-officials-in-the-usa-from/) Micky Barnetti > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“The spectacle shop was old, long, and narrow, with a glass front and a small thin door that opened onto a somewhat busy avenue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-alexander/the-spectacle-shop-was-old-long-and-narrow-with-a-glass-front-and-a/) K. M. Alexander ## More by Mark Klett > [I am interested in making photographs which comment on the experience of a place as well as describe it. My position has not typically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/i-am-interested-in-making-photographs-which-comment-on-the-experience/) [Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) > [The most prevalent way of working in photography right now is project oriented: you go after an idea. I like the old way, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/the-most-prevalent-way-of-working-in-photography-right-now-is-project/) [Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) > [So much of what we know, and what we think we know, about the land has first passed through someone's lens. The interesting thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/so-much-of-what-we-know-and-what-we-think-we-know-about-the-land-has/) [Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) > [I am not much interested in discovering new territories to photograph. Instead, what I wish my pictures could do is lessen the distance one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/i-am-not-much-interested-in-discovering-new-territories-to-photograph/) [Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) > [In this world, the spots where the present seems to overlap the past are the most important. These are the points when one becomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/in-this-world-the-spots-where-the-present-seems-to-overlap-the-past/) [Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) > [Fine-art photography is a very small world associated with galleries, museums, and university art programs. It's not like rock music; the products of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/fine-art-photography-is-a-very-small-world-associated-with-galleries/) [Mark Klett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) [Explore all 7 Mark Klett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/) ## More Antiques quotes > [“The spectacle shop was old, long, and narrow, with a glass front and a small thin door that opened onto a somewhat busy avenue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-alexander/the-spectacle-shop-was-old-long-and-narrow-with-a-glass-front-and-a/) K. M. Alexander > [Every innovation scraps its immediate predecessor and retrieves still older figures – it causes floods of antiques or nostalgic art forms and stimulates the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/every-innovation-scraps-its-immediate-predecessor-and-retrieves-still/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [“The Nazi salute was performed by public officials in the USA from 1892 through 1942. The researcher Dr. Rex Curry asks 'What happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micky-barnetti/the-nazi-salute-was-performed-by-public-officials-in-the-usa-from/) Micky Barnetti > [ It was when Boston invited us to do a parade one November, and I was the only \[Star Wars\] cast member skeptical of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/it-was-when-boston-invited-us-to-do-a-parade-one-november-and-i-was/) [John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/) > [LAOCOON, n. A famous piece of antique scripture representing a priest of that name and his two sons in the folds of two enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/laocoon-n-a-famous-piece-of-antique-scripture-representing-a-priest/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I had already done a lot of research for Rough Riders, keeping notebooks and old photographs. Some of the books were antiques for that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-berenger/i-had-already-done-a-lot-of-research-for-rough-riders-keeping/) [Tom Berenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-berenger/) > [When I find something at a flea market or an antique store, it feels more special and I'm more inclined to want to wear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-wasson/when-i-find-something-at-a-flea-market-or-an-antique-store-it-feels/) [Erin Wasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-wasson/) > [“The problem: If you've an antique for sale, then, sad to relate, the world isn't your oyster. It's not that easy. Even if somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-gash/the-problem-if-you-ve-an-antique-for-sale-then-sad-to-relate-the/) [Jonathan Gash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-gash/) > [I was being ridiculed for going to school... But, you see, I had looked hard at the other musicians and the whole show-business scene...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-byrd/i-was-being-ridiculed-for-going-to-school-but-you-see-i-had-looked/) [Donald Byrd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-byrd/) > [I think when you get interested in antiques, the most frustrating thing is that books don't have enough photos. When you go to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-miller/i-think-when-you-get-interested-in-antiques-the-most-frustrating/) [Judith Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-miller/) > [Thou fool! Nature alone is antique, and the oldest art a mushroom; that idle crag thou sittest on is six thousand years of age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/thou-fool-nature-alone-is-antique-and-the-oldest-art-a-mushroom-that/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I shop at thrift stores a lot. I have a lot of silver pitchers and I put my flowers in those. I collect antiques,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-potter/i-shop-at-thrift-stores-a-lot-i-have-a-lot-of-silver-pitchers-and-i/) [Monica Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-potter/) > [You know what, maybe I just want a different kind of life. Maybe I want to open an antique store and coffee shop, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aya-cash/you-know-what-maybe-i-just-want-a-different-kind-of-life-maybe-i-want/) [Aya Cash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aya-cash/) > [I always fish out antique ideas, very old ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-leone/i-always-fish-out-antique-ideas-very-old-ideas/) [Sergio Leone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-leone/) > [Force yourself to write down what is of no interest, what is most obvious, most common, most colourless...antique shops, clothes, hi-fi, etc. Don't say,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-perec/force-yourself-to-write-down-what-is-of-no-interest-what-is-most/) [Georges Perec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-perec/) [Browse all 203 Antiques quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antiques/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Photos always seem to exist as sort of stuffy, unnecessary antiques that we put in a drawer — unless we take them out, put them in current dialogue, and give them relevance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Klett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-stuffy-unnecessary-antiques/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Antiques" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-stuffy-unnecessary-antiques/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/mark-klett-50743_antiques_photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-s_2292208.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/mark-klett-50743_antiques_photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-s_2292208.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/da0/mark-klett-50743_antiques_photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-s_2292208.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Photos always seem to exist as sort of stuffy, unnecessary antiques that we put in a drawer — unless we take…” — Mark Klett", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mark Klett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-klett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Photos always seem to exist as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-stuffy-unnecessary-antiques/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-klett/photos-always-seem-to-exist-as-sort-of-stuffy-unnecessary-antiques/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```