living picture

noun

1. tableau ( def 3 ).

living picture

noun

1. another term for tableau vivant

Word History and Origins

Origin of living picture¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

Long before we were dabbing eye shadow on our lips and posing with toilet paper, people were donning makeup, holding props and posing rigidly in place for up to a full minute as part of a dramatic practice known as tableau vivant, or living picture.

From New York Times

And in positioning their bodies in spatial relation to one another, the students presented a living picture in which people of diverse skin tones, ethnicities and identities could gather together on contested ground to claim their shared belonging.

From New York Times

No living picture editor has been involved behind the scenes in the creation of more famous photographs over a longer span of time.

From Time

In one project for Hixson’s course, which focused on socially engaged art, students dressed up to create a tableau vivant, or living picture, re-creating Raphael’s masterpiece “The School of Athens.”

From Washington Post

No living picture editor has been involved behind the scenes in the creation of more famous photographs over a longer span of time.

From Time

Related Words

• carbon copy