Is the photo representative? In other words, can the photo indicate something bigger than itself? "For example, the internet has, for years, made fun of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un for marveling at seemingly cool but likely fake things like modern and well-stocked grocery stores. These photos are meant to be representative images portraying for Kim's people and for foreigners that North Korea is a modern and well-nourished society. The reality is a bit different."
#22 A Young Boy That Had Just Stolen His Father's Car And Crashed It, Takes One Last Puff On His Cigarette Before Facing The Consequences. 1974

#23 "Being Deeply Loved By Someone Gives You Strength, While Loving Someone Deeply Gives You Courage"

As the historian said, these concepts can apply to virtually any photograph, but they become crucial when we're viewing a particular one as evidence. "They are important for historical photographs because of the power and usefulness of photography in political propaganda. North Korea is a great example of a regime that uses photography for propaganda, and the Soviet Union and the US were great examples too, particularly during the Cold War and the Space Race."
#30 Young Couples At A Formal Dance Dreamily Sway On The Crowded Floor Of Dim, Chandelier-Lit Ballroom, 1940s. Photo By Nina Leen

#31 An Exhausted Young Couple During An All-Night Jazz Session At The Royal Albert Hall In London, 1957. Photo By Erich Auerbach

#33 Marilyn Monroe, Startled By A Firecracker, Opens The Time-Life Building In New York, 1957

#35 Bonnie And Clyde's Last Kiss A Few Hours Before They Were Killed, May 23, 1934

#40 On The Observation Deck Of The Empire State Building, New York, Mid-1940's
















