Paula and Half of Ben-Gurion

Believe it or not, we came across this photo when we were asked to look for photos in which curtains appear in Ben Gurion's house. Yes, curtains.

Sometimes there are completely esoteric requests, but they lead to a fascinating visual journey, and attention to seemingly marginal but magical details.

Usually, when it comes to the great and short-lived leader, the requests focus on him and only him, either at one event or another, in dignified or pioneering attire. But now, due to the renovation and restoration of the Ben Gurion House in Tel Aviv, it is precisely the house, the objects and the decoration that have become the center of attention.

So in this photo, we stopped because a curtain was seen in it. But after a moment, we realized that there is so much more to it. Most of the filming in this series focused on Ben Gurion returning to his home library and giving a press interview in an intellectual and formal atmosphere.

This photo is among the few that show what is happening behind the scenes. It seems that the intention was to document the recorder, which dominates a current DJ position, but that Paula and Ben-Gurion entered the frame. Paula looks visibly dissatisfied (maybe there is a jarring noise in her ear?) and only half of Ben-Gurion's body is visible as he is crossed by the door.

It just so happened that a respectable interview, whose purpose was the production of representative photographs, managed to produce even this strange and unrepresentative photograph that presents the famous couple in a non-ideal and entertaining way.

Hopefully the curtains will be restored successfully.

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From the series 'David Ben-Gurion, Studio Photography in the Library at Beit Ben-Gurion', Tel Aviv, 1957 | Negative: 29006