Based on an ethnographic field research conducted in the do- mestic and public spheres of the province of Punjab (Pakistan), this paper discusses real images (the family photos) embedded in their narrative context. It contributes towards understanding the role play by photographs both in domestic and public spheres by focusing on their function and the effect they have on the everyday lives of people and it also explores the changing dynamics of this role in a micro-so- cial process. My contention is that displaying photographs at home or in the workplace and looking at them brings not only emotional satisfaction and nostalgia but it also functions to help one to overcome the sorrow of the passing of time entails. Our research suggests that photographs are bond up with the private lives of people and serve as a form of “home entertainment”.

Key words:

Domestic and Public Spheres. Ethnographic survey. Family photos. Nostalgia.