President Herbert Hoover 1932

Erich Salomon made this gelatin silver print, "President Herbert Hoover," sometime during Hoover's term. Salomon was a master of candid photography, capturing politicians and dignitaries in unguarded moments. What does this image tell us about the cultural and political landscape of the United States during the Hoover years? The cigar, the formal wear, the carefully arranged table decorations: these all suggest a world of wealth and privilege, a world that must have seemed very distant to the millions of Americans who were suffering the effects of the Great Depression. The image thus serves as a visual shorthand for the widening gap between the haves and have-nots. Historians draw upon sources such as news archives, personal papers, and government documents to further contextualize an image like this. We can see the photograph's meaning as contingent on social and institutional contexts, reflecting the complex interplay of power, representation, and social commentary.