Photography in This Photograph, the Prominent Motif

Photography

In this photograph, the prominent motif is a flag of the United States. The lines on the metallic roof converge in linear perspective, drawing the viewer's eye to that flag. Based on the number of stars in the flag, the photograph was taken prior to the admission of Alaska or Hawaii to the Union, possibly dating the picture to before Hawaii's statehood of 1959. Three white men are walking in front of the flag, which is painted on a brick wall in what appears to be a traffic tunnel. Two cars occupy the middle ground of the composition. Neither of the two cars is fully within the frame. The car in the front is painted white, whereas the car in the back is painted black. Moreover, the drivers of the car in the back are African-American. The photograph thus makes commentary on race relations in the United States of America in the years following the end of World War Two and in the height of Jim Crow.

The position of the cars symbolizes the racialization of America in the twentieth century. At the time this photograph was taken, African-Americans were considered "separate but equal," and had to ride in the back of the bus. Such overt racism is represented in this photograph by showing the black car, with black drivers, riding behind a white car. Moreover, the white car has no drivers. It does not matter that the viewer sees the identity of the drivers of the white car. What matters is the symbol of whiteness, which represents political, social, and economic power.

This photograph shows a flag that pre-dated the entry of either Hawaii or Alaska. Both Hawaii and Alaska have high proportions of indigenous non-white people. Thus, this photograph makes commentary about American colonialism and imperialism in addition to simple black-white race relations. The three men in the background do not have clear identities. The viewer only perceives these three men as being white, meaning that the men are endowed with symbolic power. Two of the three men are looking directly at the camera, with an aura of confidence. In contrast, the African-American drivers are gazing at those white men with fear. Furthermore, the white men are walking in front of the flag in a symbol of ownership of that image. The black men driving the car in the rear of the traffic line are looking at those men with potential suspicion. Their suspicion comes from the fact that African-Americans are not in a position of political or social power and must remain always on guard for hate crimes.

The only objects occupying the foreground of this photograph are two pillars. These two pillars might be supportive beans inside the traffic tunnel, but they also serve a symbolic function in that one will represent whiteness, and the other pillar non-whiteness. Because America is a multi-racial, and multi-cultural nation, there should be several different pillars. From the white and dominant culture perspective, however, there are only two pillars. That which is white is considered to be powerful; that which is non-white is deprived of liberty and social justice. Jim Crow laws were on the books in many states when this photograph was taken. It cost Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And other civil rights activists their lives to change the racist underpinning of American domestic policies.