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The Conversation USA

A straight face, with a wink – the subtle humor of deadpan photography

  • Written by Emilia Mickevicius, Norton Family Assistant Curator of Photography, University of Arizona
imageInstallation view of 'Funny Business: Photography and Humor,' Phoenix Art Museum, 2025. Katie Jones-Weinert, CC BY-SA

Deadpan is not so much a type of joke as a mode of delivery, a manner of address to an audience that often provokes nervous laughter.

Comedian Nathan Fielder’s persona is marked by deadpan. In his hit HBO comedy series “Th...

Read more: A straight face, with a wink – the subtle humor of deadpan photography

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