Can You Spot the Difference?

Three times a year, in May, July, and September, the usually tranquil New England town of Brimfield, Massachusetts, becomes the setting for a free-for-all of mud, fried food on sticks, and socks-with-sandals-wearing tourists—the last in search of hidden treasure during a frenetic week of antiques shows that line both sides of a mile-long stretch of road. It’s a crazy, often surreal, atmosphere, in which seasoned attendees (this writer included) buzz around, Trekkie-like, sunburned on the back of the neck and tops of the ears, casually dropping words like “quartersawn” and “Georgian” and “Step off, brah, this is my Federal highboy.” Apart from making a great find, and the occasional “celebrity” sighting—which in Brimfield means an Antiques Roadshow appraiser—the most fun comes from the crazy, surreal juxtapositions you see at every turn, the sacred keeping company with the profane, the Rembrandt etching leering at lying down with hung beside displayed in proximity to the Farrah poster. The following photos, all by Japey, offer a snapshot of the Brimfield experience—with a twist. Rather than presenting a traditional photo essay, I’ve assembled a series of 100% unaltered “spot the difference” photo challenges, for advanced puzzle-solvers only, each with a quartersawn dollop of Georgian, Japecake-style satire. Just remember as you proceed: Sometimes the most obvious differences are the ones immediately obvious.

Fiddle Faddle dog

7-up advertising


Archie comics toilet Hope Diamond Grateful Dead

Buddha Dunkin’ Donuts

Cowboy Indian Goose Happy Days Al Molinaro

Baseball Little Leaguer protective cup pinata times tables celery

Carnival target herpes Ayn Rand candy corn hundred-dollar bills threesome

Old Masters painting banana stickers duct tape

fishing buoys soul patch sinking addiction therapy

doll cocaine-fueled lifestyle Colombian drug kingpin