The Smile in the Giftshop, c. 1960

American artist and filmmaker Joseph Cornell was well known for his shadow box type works that featured various old pictures, assorted Victorian trinkets, items from dime stores, and assorted other things that he found laying around. He was able to create works in which the whole was greater than the sum of its parts. His audiences were able to view these individual items in a completely different light. His boxes would speak to themes like birds, childhood, and space. Joseph Cornell, through his shadow boxes, was one of the first adopters of the form of art known as assemblage. Cornell’s work was technically in line with the Surrealism movement, though he would come to dismiss this classification. He was opposed to the erotic and violent aspects of Surrealism, but his work did incorporate such key Surrealistic elements such as the juxtaposition of various unexpected objects, and the inclusion of imagery that suggested a dream-like environment. (Artist website)