Gordon Coster (1906-1988) was an extremely successful Chicago photographer who was capable of creating almost any image in almost any genre.  What's happening in this photograph is anyone's guess, but it seems to be a pastiche of clinical experiments studying the behavior of a subject who is asleep - but not at rest.

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Untitled (Behavioral Research)

Gordon Coster, c. 1946
vintage gelatin-silver print
10″ × 8″