There seems to be a puzzle, as all the following three sentences appear to be true: (1) Single pictures can be narrative; (2) Sequences of time are an integral part of narratives; (3) Single pictures cannot represent sequences of time. To solve the puzzle one of the sentences is wrong and in need of adaptation. In this paper I argue that that sentence (3) is wrong, and I argue that single pictures can represent sequences of time and therefore can be narrative.

But if pictures can be narrative, how can they be narrative? How is it possible that single pictures, without words, can transport a narrative content? There are three options: (a) the narrative content is depicted, (b) the narrative content is represented, (c) the narrative content is conveyed by (using) pictures in some other way. For sentence (1) to be true, either option (a) or option (b) must be possible. With the help of examples, I show that it is possible to formulate semantic rules that take us from a depicted content to a represented narrative content, and thereby offering an account that provides a solution to the puzzle and the subsequent how-question.