Hofstra University Museum of Art: From Portraits to Tweets

HOFSTR A UNIVERSIT Y MUSEUM

From Portraits to Tweets: Imagery, Technology and the U.S. Presidency

Front cover credit: Gilbert Stuart (American, 1775-1828) Richard’s Portrait of George Washington, 1805-1815 Oil on canvas 36 1/2 x 31 in. framed Courtesy of Collection of Everson Museum of Art, Museum Purchase by contributions from the community and friends of Syracuse and Onondaga County as a tribute to the American Bicentennial, PC 76.35 Image courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art © 2015 Hofstra University Museum All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the Hofstra University Museum.

HOFSTR A UNIVERSIT Y MUSEUM

From Portraits to Tweets: Imagery, Technology and the U.S. Presidency February 3-May 8, 2015 | Emily Lowe Gallery

Presented in association with the Hofstra Cultural Center international conference The George W. Bush Presidency (March 24-26, 201 5).

This exhibition is made possible by funding from the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Additional funding for this exhibition and catalog has been provided by the New York Community Bank Foundation.

Foreword

The Influence of the Visual Image

There exists today an entire body of research that explores the important relationships between the use of visual imagery and shifts in public opinion. Facial characteristics, picture composition, and a variety of other visual factors have been shown to affect people’s attitudes toward politicians. In this exhibition, From Portraits to Tweets: Imagery, Technology and the U.S. Presidency, the Hofstra University Museum offers an original examination of artistic and visual materials that have influenced the public’s changing perceptions of a number of individual presidents, as well as the presidency itself. The Museum’s associate director of exhibitions and collections, Karen T. Albert, guides the viewer through her selections of paintings, prints, photographs, film and television clips, as well as tweets, to underscore this thesis. It is through the presentation of visual imagery, significantly controlled at one time by a president or his representatives, to the vast array of information streams available to today’s society — artistic, print, digital and Internet — that the public shapes its opinions and determines a frame of reference for individualistic as well as global perceptions of a president.

Today’s advances provide us with visual access to our neighbors around the globe, along with changing and current visual information that is available 24 hours a day through the immediacy of a smartphone, tablet, computer or television. How do we process this proliferation of images, particularly those that can showcase a current president at moments that are orchestrated as well as unguarded and candid?

As this exhibition highlights, the public’s evolving perceptions of the presidency have been, and continue to be formulated and altered as a result of artistic trends, advances in technology, and the development of new artist mediums and processes that have been introduced over the course of more than 225 years of our nation’s history.

From Portraits to Tweets: Imagery, Technology and the U.S. Presidency has come to fruition with vital support and contributions from a number of individual collectors, museums, and galleries, as well as government agencies and foundations. We offer our thanks to the following lenders and contributors: Naomi Brown, exhibition and loan assistant, Brooklyn Museum; artist Alex Guofeng Cao; Karen Convertino, registrar, Everson Museum of Art; Elizabeth DeMaria, museum technician, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site; Steven Kern, former executive director, Everson Museum of Art, and current director and CEO, The Newark Museum; Theresa Manalo, registrar, OBEY Giant Art/Shepard Fairey; Michael J. O’Connor, curator, Special Collections, Hofstra University Libraries; artist Frank Porcu; Stephen V. Russell, collector of art and ephemera; Susan Sarna, museum curator, Sagamore Hill National Historic Site; Geri E. Solomon, assistant dean and university archivist, Hofstra University Libraries; Shawn Thomas, collector of art and ephemera; David White, senior curator, Robert Rauschenberg Foundation; and Scott Wixon, collections manager, New-York Historical Society.

Additionally, we are grateful to Hofstra University, New York Community Bank Foundation, and the New York State Council on the Arts for providing essential resources toward this exhibition and accompanying catalog. This exhibition is offered in association with the major Hofstra Cultural Center conference The George W. Bush Presidency, March 24-26, 2015.

Beth E. Levinthal

Executive Director Hofstra University Museum

5

Curator’s Statement

6

From Portraits to Tweets: Imagery, Technology and the U.S. Presidency

We are daily bombarded with visual images from billboards to YouTube videos, and these depictions of objects and individuals influence how we see and relate to the subjects of the images. The representations of political leaders, as we recently witnessed in the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign and the 2014 midterm elections, are particularly important to the public’s perception of the politician. Visual images of the American president influence how a particular leader is viewed by the populous and even affect how the public sees the institution of the U.S. presidency. Through the years, changes in technology have had a tremendous impact on the quality, content, quantity and dissemination of visual imagery that influences our thinking and attitudes.

This original exhibition From Portraits to Tweets: Imagery, Technology and the U.S. Presidency, which includes paintings, prints, film and television clips, and digital imagery, explores the shifting references to U.S. presidents and alterations in public perceptions to the American presidency brought about through new and shifting media and artistic trends. The works of art were created and date from a time when accurate pictorial images of the president were rare, to the present when visual images are commonplace and routinely manipulated.

Traditional Portraiture During the era of the American Revolution, and until the mid-1800s, the only way most citizens knew what the president looked like was through a traditional portrait painting, typically oil on canvas. The president, or his representatives, had control of how he was depicted in the painting and thus how he was presented to the nation. The early presidential portraits followed the style used in Europe to portray the aristocracy, which typically used a formal three-quarter frontal pose or a full-length stance. This reference to royal portraiture served to validate the new nation and placed its leadership at the same societal level as

Old World aristocracy. The American president was viewed in glowing terms as a symbolic and vital leader; there was a respect and reverence for the office as the president was seen as building institutions, shaping the country’s reputation, and working for the good of the nation.

The nation’s visual concept of President George Washington was the same as portrait painter Gilbert Stuart’s. Although other artists, such as Charles Wilson Peale and John Trumbull, painted Washington’s portrait, Stuart’s rendition became the image known to the nation. Gilbert Stuart (American, 1775-1828) painted three individual portraits of Washington from life, including perhaps his most famous one: the unfinished 1796 painting known as The Athenaeum. During his career, Stuart painted more than 100 portraits of President Washington with varying compositions, which were usually based on this work. Richard’s Portrait of George Washington, included in this exhibition, was painted between 1805 and 1815. At the time, the artist sold these portraits for approximately $100 each. Stuart got to know his subject through conversation and close observation and reflected his sitter’s character through his knowledge of anatomy. The portraits portray President Washington as the strong and honorable leader of a new nation. Stuart’s representation of President Washington has been copied by many artists over the years, most notably as the basis for the engraved image of President Washington on the one dollar bill.

Another leading 19th-century portrait painter, George Peter Alexander Healy (American, 1813-1894), produced a number of presidential portraits that originally hung in the White House. After his election was confirmed, President Franklin Pierce posed for Healy in Boston during November 1852. The first portrait of President Pierce is now part of the National Portrait Gallery collection. The New-York Historical Society’s portrait of President Pierce (1853), included in this exhibition, is based upon Healy’s original portrait of the newly elected

7

president. Healy was a portrait and history painter of international renown, known for capturing an individual’s likeness and personality in his naturalistic style.

Century Illustrated Monthly Magazine (1880) and Scribner’s Magazine (1887). The production of and demand for images increased, as these were illustrated publications.

The portrait of President Theodore Roosevelt (1900-1930) by Adriaan M. de Groot (American, 1870-1942) used a less formal pose than the earlier presidential portraits. De Groot painted a number of portraits of the Roosevelt family at the president’s request. Historically, portraits have been commissioned for every American president. As painting trends have evolved, so, too, have the styles employed to capture images of each of the presidents.

During the 19th century the public primarily became familiar with each president through wood engravings in nationally distributed illustrated newspapers, print portraits purchased for the home, and through carte-de-visite photographs. Visual images, including formal portraits, drawings, and editorial cartoons, were also disseminated nationally through these newspapers. The image of the U.S. president was no longer limited to a single, controlled image (the formal portrait painting); multiple depictions, both positive and negative, of the president were available to the public through often partisan periodicals.

The Printed Image and the Presidency Throughout the 18th and 19th centuries in America, portrait paintings of presidents and other prominent individuals were often translated into printed illustrations through printmaking processes such as engraving, etching or lithography. The images were then printed in “broadsides” (single-side printed posters), newspapers, journals, magazines and books, which were disseminated across the country. From the end of the 18th century until the introduction of photoengraving nearly a century later, wood engraving was the standard artistic practice utilized for illustrations printed in newspapers.

During this time printing presses were manually operated and the type was hand-set. Interestingly, the basic printing press had changed very little since its creation.

The Industrial Revolution of the 19th century brought a shift toward powered and special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. Advances in the mechanics of production led to a greater number of newspapers being established with a wider circulation. The first powered press was used in 1814 by The Times in London, and the new presses became common in America by the mid-19th century. The powered press, along with the development of the continuous roll of paper, increased the capacity and decreased the cost for printing text and images. The rapid progress of these mechanical advances in printing technology facilitated the distribution of the visual image of the U.S. president. At this time, the newspaper industry grew dramatically in America, along with literacy rates, which had increased so that by 1850 nine out of 10 adult white males could read. The population also grew and what had been an agrarian society shifted to an industrial economy.

Between 1857 and 1887, four periodicals were launched in America: Harper’s Weekly (1857), Atlantic Monthly (1857),

8

Artists have used drawings or cartoons to comment on the actions of a president almost from the beginnings of the nation. Cartoons were common in the weekly periodicals of the 19th century and the newspapers that followed. Known as the first American editorial cartoonist, Thomas Nast (American, 1840-1902) published regularly in Harper’s Weekly. His wood engraving in this exhibition, “Liberal” Gratitude, comments on how quickly political opinion can change. The image depicts President Ulysses S. Grant steering “the good ship Union ... through the Sea of Trouble into peaceful waters” with politicians looking on and asking “shall the Helmsman be thrown overboard?” To the present day, editorial cartoons, both in print and in digital format, continue to address political actions and societal issues, shaping the public’s views.

Along with the growth of periodicals came a growing industry of commercial publishers and distributors of engravings and lithographs. During the second half of the 19th century, commercial portrait images of political figures were collected by the growing populace for display in homes and businesses.

Commercial printmakers often used photographs, and to a lesser extent paintings, as their models or image sources.

The lithography firm of Currier & Ives (Nathaniel Currier, American, 1813-1888; James Merritt Ives, American, 1824-1895) was the most prolific of all print publishers of the late 19th century. Their “pictures for the people” had wide distribution through mail orders and street and shop sales.

The lithograph Hon. Abraham Lincoln, Republican Candidate for Sixteenth President of the United States (1860) was based

on Mathew Brady’s Cooper Institute iconic photograph of the candidate. The lithographic portrayal of Lincoln softened his rough-hewn features and presented him as a trustworthy candidate, which Lincoln actually acknowledged as greatly aiding his campaign. After that election, Lincoln grew a beard, which made previous images of a beardless Lincoln obsolete. Between his election and inauguration as president, print publishers redrew and reprinted images of Lincoln – guessing how a bearded Lincoln might look.

Washington gazes out with confidence and strength, two important qualities in his role as leader, while Washington Crossing the Delaware commemorates one of his most well-known actions during the Revolutionary War. As seen in an 1868 announcement published in Harper’s Weekly, the newspaper produced an engraving of President Washington based upon Gilbert Stuart’s painting with an accompanying article stating that Stuart’s portraits “... are really the basis for all the likenesses which we have of Washington ... ”

Mathew Brady photographed a bearded President Lincoln many times, and Brady’s images were actually used for the basis of the image on the five dollar bill and Lincoln penny.

Lincoln’s personal story and political accomplishments began to be romanticized shortly after his assassination.

His rise from “backwoods” candidate to the bearded “Emancipator” led to Lincoln becoming an American icon symbolizing the ideals of the nation. Posthumous prints idealized Lincoln’s features, transforming him from virtuous politician to martyr. Created in 1865, Louis Prang’s (American, 1824-1909) lithograph Abraham Lincoln was one of the earliest posthumous prints of the president. A fellow artist, painter Matthew Wilson, provided his life-drawn portrait of Lincoln to Prang specifically for the production of the lithograph. William Sartain (American, 1843-1924) published a mezzotint engraving titled Lincoln and His Family, after an 1866 painting by S.B. Waugh, and it was tremendously popular. Photographers of the time republished the print in a carte-de-visite format, which fooled many into thinking it was an actual photograph of the family. President Abraham Lincoln was the most heavily illustrated figure in the 19th century. His image and what it represents continue to be relevant today. These images were often manipulated in a way similar to contemporary images, albeit with the techniques available at that time.

While the primary means of image reproduction during the middle of the 19th century continued to be engraving, etching and lithography, improvements in photographic processes led to the development of photoengraving in the latter part of the 19th century. In 1880 the creation of the halftone process, in which a photographic image is rendered as small black dots that the human eye reads as tones, allowed for the first photographs to be printed in a full range of tones. Mechanical improvements followed quickly and continued into the new century. In 1904 an offset press was invented for planographic or flat-surface printing on paper. As progress continued, newspapers changed from monthly or weekly publications to daily editions. By the mid-20th century, new and improved printing presses had dramatically increased quality and speed of production along with introducing multicolor printing. In the second half of the 20th century, innovations were shaped by the application of electronics to every industry, profession, trade and means of communication.

At the end of the 19th century, the popularity of portrait prints of political figures and the 1876 centennial celebrations culminated in the production of numerous images glorifying President George Washington. As the first president of the United States, Washington was distinguished as the father of the new nation and greatly respected for his wisdom, honesty and leadership during the Revolution. Currier & Ives published numerous images of Washington’s life, creating a visual history that established him as one of the nation’s earliest heroes. In a bust-length portrait, the young President

The Campaign Image Since the 1840s, banners, kerchiefs and scarfs made of cotton and silk were produced to advertise political elections.

Early examples were hand-painted images on fabric or engravings that were printed on fabric. The kerchiefs and scarfs typically included the candidate’s portrait along with patriotic slogans and imagery. Kerchief (ca. 1848), probably made for Zachary Taylor’s campaign, was printed from copper engravings onto cotton fabric. The patriotic design represents Taylor as a military hero under the American flag and surrounded by C.A. May, General Wool, General Scott and General Patterson. Campaign Ribbon (1876), created with woven silk, promoted the candidacies of Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler for president and vice president, respectively. Lithography was used to print the medallion portraits on the red cotton of Kerchief (1880) endorsing the candidacies of Chester A. Arthur and

9

James A. Garfield. The textile businesses that made the political kerchiefs and scarfs often produced ones in similar styles for opposing candidates. Screenprinting on fabric became the norm in the early 20th century, and was often produced with photo-imaged stencils. To the present day political campaigns continue to use the candidate’s image on banners and on a variety of printed materials.

Another example is campaign buttons that date back to the 18th century when the buttons were sewn to clothing. The introduction of photographic portraits on pins and buttons dates to 1860. Images of Abraham Lincoln and his contemporaries were created using the tintype or ferrotype photographic process that was available at that time. Mass production of campaign buttons known as “celluloid” buttons — where one side of the metal disk was covered with printed paper — arrived in the late 19th century. Beginning in 1916, images were lithographed directly onto the metal disks.

Modern versions are called “pin-back” buttons, as they typically have pins on the reverse side. In the contemporary era, advances in technology permit campaigns to produce relatively inexpensive plastic and metal buttons. Digital technologies have made the creation of image-focused buttons even easier and less costly.

Influence of Photography The invention of photography in 1839 dramatically changed how visual images were created and distributed. Many engravers and lithographers copied and restyled existing photographs in order to quickly produce new images. As the technological developments of photography progressed, they led to faster production times and less expensive prints to depict realistic images of presidents. Early on, the photograph began to supplant the painted or engraved image as the primary source of the presidential portrait. John Quincy Adams was the earliest photographed U.S. president; a daguerreotype, now at the National Portrait Gallery, was taken of him in 1843. The daguerreotype, where the image is produced on a light-sensitive silver-coated metallic plate, was the first photographic process to be widely used.

Popular during the 1860s and 1870s, a tintype photograph was made by creating a direct positive on a thin sheet of iron (not tin) coated with a dark lacquer or enamel and used as the support for the photographic emulsion. Similar to other early photographic processes, tintypes were first made in a studio

10

but could also be made on site at fairs or carnivals. The lacquered thin iron sheet could be developed, fixed and handed to the customer a few minutes after it was taken.

Carte-de-visite photographs gained in popularity in America in the second half of the 19th century. The small photographs, 2 ½ by 4 inches, were usually albumen prints with the thin paper photograph mounted on thicker card stock. These were mass-produced and sold in multiple copies. Their popularity led to the publication and collection of photographs of prominent individuals, including political figures such as the ever-popular Washington and Lincoln. Albums of these photographs were commonly on display in Victorian parlors across the country. These small photographs were supplanted by “cabinet cards,” which were also albumen prints but larger and often included written information on the reverse side.

The information sometimes was an advertisement for the publisher’s photographic services. From the 1860s to the 1890s these two photographic formats dominated the portraiture industry. There was an increased demand for outdoor and candid photographs along with enlarged prints that could be framed or smaller unmounted snapshots that could be collected in scrapbooks. The introduction of postcards quickly followed. The larger postcard format, typically 3 ½ by 5 ½ inches, often included images that were based on prints or photographs. The embossed postcard For President Wm. H. Taft, For Vice-President J. S. Sherman (1908) featured a similar design to campaign buttons with oval medallion portraits of the candidates on either side of a gold eagle and American flags on each side.

In the 1880s the gelatin silver photographic printing method replaced the albumen technique. This greatly improved the print quality and remained the standard for photograph printing until the digital age. Through further innovations, such as George Eastman’s flexible roll film and self-contained box camera, photography became accessible to all. The new term “snapshot” captured the ease and speed of the new technology as individuals could now document their own experiences. In the early 20th century, photographers began to use small 35 mm cameras to capture candid images rather than staged portraits. The concept of capturing reality was adopted by the photojournalists who followed.

Since the 1960s there has been an official White House photographer for every president. The presidential

photographer’s job is twofold: one, taking photographs of the president greeting dignitaries, visitors and guests; and two, documenting for history every possible aspect of the presidency, including official events, backstage happenings and private moments. The relationship between the president and the photographer depends upon the trust the president places in the photographer.

The combined improvements in printing and photographic technologies led to changes in publications such as newspapers and magazines. Photographs, instead of engravings or lithographs, now became the norm in publications. In 1902 Ladies’ Home Journal published an article with numerous photographs of Theodore Roosevelt with the title “The Outdoor President.” The images perpetuated the idea of Roosevelt as a man of action. As the 20th century progressed, newly created periodicals such as Time (1923) and Life (1936) were more heavily illustrated with photographs, first in black and white and then in full color.

The advances in technology allowed portrait images to be printed in a variety of ways. In 1952 then Vice President Richard Nixon produced a postcard that was sent to his supporters after his “Checkers speech.” The specialized card included a photograph of his family on the front and a facsimile handwritten note on the back. In addition to traditional publications, images of presidents have appeared on calendars, campaign materials, and decks of cards. In the 1970s traditional medallion portraits of then President Richard M. Nixon and Vice President Gerald R. Ford along with American flags, similar in design to campaign buttons, appeared on sugar packets.

Impact of Moving Images Along with printed imagery, audio recordings of political addresses began in the early 1900s. The 1908 presidential race between William H. Taft and William Jennings Bryan marked the first time recorded speeches were purposefully used to increase the speaker’s audience. By 1920 recording presidential remarks was routine as radio became the medium of mass communication. Perhaps most famous were Franklin D. Roosevelt’s nationally broadcast “fireside chats” where citizens “welcomed” the president into their homes via his voice on the radio.

The development of moving pictures, both film and television, soon eclipsed the printed image as the major source for images and information. In the early 20th century, newsreels presented news and current events to the public through films, typically 10 minutes in length, which were shown in movie theaters prior to the feature film. As the popularity of the cinema grew, the newsreel became a primary source of information for the public. Through a combination of moving image and sound, it delivered the news in a new and unique way. The newsreels gave Americans their first look at the “performance” of presidential speeches and increased the importance of projecting a specific image of the president. Newsreels often filmed planned events such as presidential speeches and sporting events but were used to disseminate propaganda as well. Newsreel producers quickly saw how a live event could be manipulated to communicate messages and ideas to passive audiences. The shorter clips (five minutes or less) were the precursor to the “sound bite,” where just a section of the speech could be captured and replayed over and over again. By the late 1960s, newsreel production had ended, due in large part to the rise of television news.

Before broadcast television, aside from the occasional newspaper press conference, the president rarely interacted directly with the media. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s speech at the New York World’s Fair on April 30, 1939, was the first televised speech by a U.S. president. Harry S. Truman was the first president to broadcast from the White House on October 5, 1947. The first color television broadcast of a president was of Dwight D. Eisenhower on June 6, 1955.

It quickly became evident that television would dominate the dissemination of news and, thus, how presidents and politicians were viewed. As early as 1952 Dwight D. Eisenhower aired 20-second campaign commercials on television answering questions posed by citizens on the street. Richard M. Nixon’s televised “Checkers speech” was a prepared production that showed him in a positive light and generated such public support that, as mentioned previously, the candidate produced a postcard to send to supporters. The 1960 presidential debate between Richard M. Nixon and John F. Kennedy has become a leading example of the power of television’s visual imagery to influence the nation. While television viewers were certain that the young, handsome Kennedy had outperformed a tiredlooking Nixon, those listening to the radio, without the visual images, thought the opposite.

11

Through the mid-20th century in general, the president continued to be seen as a symbolic and vital leader working for the good of the nation. Following the televised resignation of President Richard M. Nixon after his involvement in the Watergate scandal, the presidency was seen as tarnished, as an isolated position with no checks upon its power. The impact of technology and the intimacy of the messages conveyed via television brought about a decline in the public’s belief in the viability and honesty of governmental institutions, particularly the presidency, leading to a cynicism and suspicion of the government as a whole.

Advent of Computer Technology and Electronic Media Beginning in the 1960s, computer technology began working its way into many aspects of the modern world. This included, of course, print publications and broadcast television.

Continued improvements in technology made it easier and cheaper to print newspapers and magazines, while broadcast television expanded into the cable-based channels we know today. The 24/7 news cycle created a need for more and more content. The intrusiveness of the media, which some saw as disrespecting the office of the president, with no barriers to access or self-censorship, captured the president in every mood and activity. Virtually all aspects of the president’s public life — and sometimes private moments — were now chronicled and captured on film.

The explosion of electronic media and the Internet continued to change the way most Americans obtained their news. Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce, including the rise of near-instant communication. William J. Clinton was the first president to make effective use of the Internet, exploring its potential and discovering what it could do. It became easier to mobilize grassroots efforts, communicate up-to-the-minute polling numbers, and identify shifting trends and viewpoints.

Modern “search engines” were developed in the mid-1990s, with Google coming online in 1998. Facebook and Twitter, created in 2004 and 2006, respectively, added previously unknown ways of mass communicating information. Advances in digital technology have made everyone with a smartphone a photographer or filmmaker; national news outlets often obtain amateur photos and film clips from eyewitnesses to events.

12

Most notably, President Barack Obama’s campaign utilized social media to promote his candidacy and platform, and for his fundraising efforts.

With the emergence of digital media and a networked society, visual images circulate almost instantaneously. Once posted online, whether we like it or not, the images can live on forever through sharing and tagging. The source of the images is of importance when interpreting their meaning.

The White House has official feeds on an ever-expanding list of platforms: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc. However, the presidential images and commentary remain susceptible to manipulation by the public, which increases the pressure to carefully select official photographs to be posted. The official posts of presidential images and statements generally highlight the positive aspects of the president’s responses to issues and events. Other Internet sources continue to present a wide range of opinions about each president with interpretations often reflecting partisan viewpoints.

Artistic Approaches in the 20th and 21st Centuries Visual artists continued to depict the U.S. president in twoand three-dimensional formats. Images of John F. Kennedy, particularly after his assassination, perpetuate the idealistic and heroic view of his presidency. Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008) greatly admired John F. Kennedy and saw him as a symbol of hope and humanitarianism. The artist created a number of works either dedicated to or featuring Kennedy. Rauschenberg incorporated popular mass media imagery, sourced from newspapers, magazines and television, in his art work. Images of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr. and Janis Joplin (all deceased), along with representations of the new frontier of space exploration and active civil rights protests, populate his screenprint Signs, created in 1970.

In contrast, visual representations of Richard M. Nixon focus on the negative aspects of his presidency and his physical appearance. In his screenprint Vote McGovern, Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) uses his signature style to create an extremely unflattering depiction of Nixon. This print was actually commissioned by the Democratic National Committee to promote the candidacy of Nixon’s opponent, George McGovern.

One of the most memorable images of the 2008 Obama election campaign was a poster designed by artist Shepard Fairey (American, born 1970). The image of Obama was based upon a 2006 photograph taken by an Associated Press freelance photographer. Manipulated by Fairey, text (the word “change,” “hope” or “progress”) was printed below the stylized image. Initially, Fairey created the poster and spread the image through various digital and print media. It was later printed and used with the approval of the official Obama campaign. In 2011 Fairey sued for a declaratory judgment regarding the fair use of the original photograph, and a confidential settlement was reached out of court. Fairey pleaded guilty to criminal contempt for destroying documents related to the case and was fined and sentenced to probation and community service in 2012. Despite this controversy, the image has become recognized as an emblem of the first Obama presidential campaign.

Throughout the 19th and continuing into the 20th century, there was a prolific presence of visual images of President Abraham Lincoln. Into the 21st century, he remains an iconic figure, a symbol of the ideals upon which the United States was created — and his ideals still resonate today. In his digitally based work Lincoln vs. Obama (2009), Alex Guofeng Cao (Chinese, born 1969) juxtaposes the images of the two presidents: Lincoln, who championed freedom from slavery, and Obama, the first black president. Cao recreates the iconic image of Lincoln through the use of an intricate, digital collage. Small black and white images of

President Barack Obama are manipulated to create the subtle gradations of tone, from deep black to almost white, that form the larger image of Lincoln.

At first glance The ‘Thomas’ Abraham Lincoln (2012) by sculptor Frank L. Porcu (American, born 1972) may seem to be a traditional representational sculpture of President Lincoln. However, closer examination reveals a heightened sense of drama, motion and emotion coming from the work — almost as if catching Lincoln in an unguarded moment after delivering an impassioned speech. This contemporary work employs a modern sensibility to the image of the 16th president of the United States.

Over the past four centuries, as artistic and technological processes have evolved, the images of the American president have moved from the earliest singular, controlled depictions of the president to a multitude of images on varied media platforms over which the president and his representatives have little control. Some traditions hold firm, with an official formal portrait of every president still painted when the president leaves office. However, these painted portrait images have little relevance as the accepted images of an American president in the 21st century.

Karen T. Albert

Associate Director of Exhibitions and Collections Hofstra University Museum

Selected Resources Campbell, Bob. A Bijou Flashback: The History of Movie Newsreels. http://www.moviefanfare.com/the-history-of-movie -newsreels/, posted June 18, 2010.

National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.

Communicating the Presidency. http://www.americanhistory .si.edu/presidency/4_content.html, accessed March 17, 2014.

Chappell, Warren. A Short History of the Printed Word.

New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1970.

National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. Mathew Brady’s World: Brady and the World of Art. http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/ brady/art/artdoc.htm, accessed August 30, 2013.

Cornell University. Dawn’s Early Light: The First 50 Years of American Photography. http://rmc.library.cornell.edu/ DawnsEarlyLight/, accessed August 30, 2013.

Eddins, Geri Zabela. Persuading the People: Presidential Campaigns. http://www.ourwhitehouse.org/persuading.html, accessed February 8, 2013.

Garland, Claude Mallory. Washington and His Portraits.

Chicago: The Guilford Press, ca. 1931.

Holzer, Harold, Gabor S. Boritt and Mark E. Neely.

The Lincoln Image: Abraham Lincoln and the Popular Print.

New York: Scribner Press, 1984.

Reaves, Wendy Wick. George Washington, an American Icon: The Eighteenth Century Graphic Portraits. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service: National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; Charlottesville, Va: Distributed by the University Press of Virginia, 1982.

Tederick, Lydia. Inside the White House: Décor and Art. http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house/art, accessed September 5, 2013.

13

Gilbert Stuart (American, 1775-1828)

Richard’s Portrait of George Washington, 1805-1815 Oil on canvas 36 1/2 x 31 in. framed Courtesy of Collection of Everson Museum of Art, Museum Purchase by contributions from the community and friends of Syracuse and Onondaga County as a tribute to the American Bicentennial, PC 76.35 Image courtesy of the Everson Museum of Art 14

George Peter Alexander Healy (American, 1813-1894)

Franklin Pierce, 1853 Oil on canvas 27 x 22 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Frances M. Gibson, 912.2 Image © New-York Historical Society

15

Nathaniel Currier (American, 1813-1888)

James Merritt Ives (American, 1824-1895)

Hon. Abraham Lincoln, Republican Candidate for Sixteenth President of the United States, 1860 Hand-colored lithograph 12 1/4 x 9 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Mrs. George Estabrook, HU64.108 16

Nathaniel Currier (American, 1813-1888)

James Merritt Ives (American, 1824-1895) George Washington, 19th century Hand-colored lithograph 12 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Mrs. George Estabrook, HU64.161 17

Nathaniel Currier (American, 1813-1888)

James Merritt Ives (American, 1824-1895)

Washington Crossing the Delaware. Evening Previous to the Battle of Trenton, Decemr. 5th (sic), 1776, 19th century Hand-colored lithograph, 8 1/4 x 12 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Mrs. George Estabrook, HU64.98

18

Louis Prang (American, 1824-1909) Abraham Lincoln, 1865 Lithograph 15 3/4 x 12 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Dr. Max Shulman HU77.24.04

19

William Sartain (American, 1843-1924) Lincoln and His Family, 1866 Mezzotint engraving 17 3/4 x 24 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections Gift of Dr. Max Shulman HU77.24.02

20

Thomas Nast (American, 1840-1902)

“Liberal” Gratitude from Harper’s Weekly, May 11, 1872 Wood engraving 16 x 11 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

21

Henri Cartier-Bresson (French, 1908-2004)

President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle Greeting Guests, 1959-1961 Gelatin silver print 9 7/8 x 6 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of George and Alexandra Stephanopoulos HU2012.57 © Henri Cartier-Bresson/Magnum Photos 22

Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008) Signs, 1970 Screenprint on wove paper 35 1/8 x 26 3/4 in.

Courtesy of Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Art © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation/Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY

23

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Vote McGovern, 1972 Screenprint on paper 41 11/16 x 41 11/16 in.

Courtesy of Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Kenneth Walker, 1992.125 Image: © 2014 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc./ Artist Rights Society (ARS), New York

24

Shepard Fairey (American, born 1970) Obama Hope, 2008 Lithograph 36 x 24 in.

Courtesy of Shepard Fairey/OBEY Giant Art

25

detail

Alex Guofeng Cao (Chinese, b. 1969)

Lincoln vs. Obama, 2009 Chromogenic print with Dibond Plexiglas, 60 x 40 in.

Courtesy of the artist

26

Frank L. Porcu (American, born 1972)

The ‘Thomas’ Abraham Lincoln, 2012 Bronze, edition 2/15 76 x 30 x 26 in., including base Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Patron Shawn Thomas, Hofstra University Class of 1983, UC473

27

Kerchief (Zachary Taylor), ca. 1848 Cotton 24 3/8 x 31 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society Gift of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, 1941.103 Image © New-York Historical Society

28

E. Anthony, NY publisher Abraham Lincoln (from photographic negative in Brady’s National Portrait Gallery), ca. 1860 Carte-de-visite 4 x 2 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

Lincoln Mourning Pin, 1865 Tintype photograph in frame, black ribbon and attachments 3 1/4 x 2 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections Americana Souvenir Collection

29

George Washington, ca. mid-1860s Carte-de-visite 4 x 2 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

30

“Stuart’s Washington” from

Harper’s Weekly, February 29, 1868 Wood engraving 16 x 11 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

31

Campaign Ribbon by B.B. Tilt & Son (Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler), 1876 Silk 4 1/2 x 2 1/8 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society Z.3408 Image © New-York Historical Society

Kerchief, Cochrane’s Turkey Red (Chester A. Arthur and James A. Garfield), 1880 Cotton 19 3/4 x 21 1/2 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society Purchase, 1952.307 Image © New-York Historical Society

32

President Roosevelt and Family, 1903?

Postcard 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

Rough Rider, 1904 Postcard 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

33

Theodore Roosevelt, 1904 Woven silk 6 3/4 x 5 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

34

For President Wm. H. Taft, For Vice-President J. S. Sherman 1908 Embossed postcard 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

Raphael Tuck and Sons Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, 1909 Embossed postcard 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

35

Washington, Feb. 22d, 1732–Dec. 27th, 1799 ca. 1909 Postcard 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

36

Pitcher (Theodore Roosevelt), ca. 1910 Lenox porcelain 7 5/8 x 6 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Gift of Dr. Arthur H. Merritt, 1961.342 Image © New-York Historical Society

37

LIFE (Franklin D. Roosevelt), January 4, 1937 Magazine 14 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

38

I Like Ike, ca. 1954 Decal 4 3/4 x 3 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

Nixon Ping Pong Paddle, 1972 Ink on paper, rubber, and wood 10 1/2 x 6 3/8 x 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Libraries Special Collections

39

Joe Biden (JoeBiden) “The First Selfie.”

April 16, 2014 Twitter Post

PBH Network (PBHNetwork) “Obama, Putin and Biden in One Selfie bit.ly/1jNIN67#images.”

April 23, 2014 Twitter Post

40

The White House (WhiteHouse) “When #WomenSucceed, we all succeed: heforshe.org/#take-action #HeForShe.” September 25, 2014 Twitter Post

The White House (WhiteHouse) “Morning Commute.”

October 27, 2014 Twitter Post

41

From Portraits to Tweets: Imagery, Technology and the U.S. Presidency

Chronological Exhibition Checklist Works of Art Gilbert Stuart

Nathaniel Currier

Henri Cartier-Bresson

(American, 1775-1828)

(American, 1813-1888)

(French, 1908-2004)

Richard’s Portrait of George Washington, 1805-1815

James Merritt Ives

Oil on canvas 36 1/2 x 31 in. framed Courtesy of Collection of Everson Museum of Art, Museum Purchase by contributions from the community and friends of Syracuse and Onondaga County as a tribute to the American Bicentennial PC 76.35

Washington Crossing the Delaware.

Evening Previous to the Battle of Trenton, Decemr. 5th (sic), 1776,

George Peter Alexander Healy

19th century Hand-colored lithograph 8 1/4 x 12 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Mrs. George Estabrook HU64.98

(American, 1813-1894) Franklin Pierce, 1853 Oil on canvas 27 x 22 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. Frances M. Gibson, 912.2

(American, 1824-1909) Abraham Lincoln, 1865 Lithograph 15 3/4 x 12 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Dr. Max Shulman HU77.24.04

Nathaniel Currier

William Sartain

(American, 1813-1888)

James Merritt Ives (American, 1824-1895)

Hon. Abraham Lincoln, Republican Candidate for Sixteenth President of the United States, 1860 Hand-colored lithograph 12 1/4 x 9 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Mrs. George Estabrook HU64.108

Nathaniel Currier (American, 1813-1888)

James Merritt Ives (American, 1824-1895)

George Washington, 19th century Hand-colored lithograph 12 3/8 x 9 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Mrs. George Estabrook HU64.161

42

(American, 1824-1895)

Louis Prang

(American, 1843-1924)

Lincoln and His Family, 1866 Mezzotint engraving 17 3/4 x 24 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Dr. Max Shulman HU77.24.02 Thomas Nast (American, 1840-1902)

“Liberal” Gratitude from Harper’s Weekly, May 11, 1872

President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Charles de Gaulle Greeting Guests, 1959-1961 Gelatin silver print 9 7/8 x 6 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of George and Alexandra Stephanopoulos, HU2012.57

Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925-2008) Signs, 1970 Screenprint on wove paper 35 1/8 x 26 3/4 in.

Courtesy of Robert Rauschenberg Foundation

Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Vote McGovern, 1972 Screenprint on paper 41 11/16 x 41 11/16 in.

Courtesy of Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Kenneth Walker, 1992.125

Shepard Fairey (American, born 1970) Obama Hope, 2008 Lithograph 36 x 24 in.

Courtesy of Shepard Fairey/OBEY Giant Art

Alex Guofeng Cao (Chinese, b. 1969)

Wood engraving 16 x 11 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

Lincoln vs. Obama, 2009 Chromogenic print with Dibond Plexiglas, 60 x 40 in.

Courtesy of the artist

Adriaan M. de Groot

Frank L. Porcu

(American, 1870-1942)

President Theodore Roosevelt, 1900-1930 Oil on canvas 31 1/2 x 26 1/2 in.

Courtesy of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, National Park Service

(American, born 1972)

The ‘Thomas’ Abraham Lincoln, 2012 Bronze, edition 2/15 76 x 30 x 26 in., including base Hofstra University Museum Collections, Gift of Patron Shawn Thomas, Hofstra University Class of 1983, UC473

Ephemera and Objects Bishop & Gray Studio John Quincy Adams, 1843 Reproduction of daguerreotype National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Kerchief (Zachary Taylor), ca. 1848 Cotton 24 3/8 x 31 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Gift of Mrs. J. Insley Blair, 1941.103 Mathew Brady (American, 1822-1896) Abraham Lincoln, 1860 Reproduction photograph National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

“Stuart’s Washington” from Harper’s Weekly, February 29, 1868 Wood engraving 16 x 11 1/4 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

Campaign Ribbon by B.B. Tilt & Son (Rutherford B. Hayes and William A. Wheeler), 1876 Silk 4 1/2 x 2 1/8 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Z.3408

E. Anthony, NY publisher Abraham Lincoln (from photographic

Kerchief, Cochrane’s Turkey Red (Chester A. Arthur and James A. Garfield), 1880 Cotton 19 3/4 x 21 1/2 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Purchase, 1952.307

negative in Brady’s National Portrait Gallery), ca. 1860 Carte-de-visite 4 x 2 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

“McKinley & Roosevelt” Campaign Button, 1900 Jugate pin back button 1 1/4 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell

Mathew Brady (American, 1822-1896)

Abraham Lincoln, U.S. President, January 8, 1864 Reproduction photograph Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, Washington, D.C. Lincoln Mourning Pin, 1865 Tintype photograph in frame, black ribbon and attachments 3 1/4 x 2 1/8 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections, Americana Souvenir Collection George Washington, ca. mid-1860s Carte-de-visite 4 x 2 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

McKinley Campaign Button, 1900 Pin back button 2 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell Ladies’ Home Journal, May 1902 (Vol. 19 No. 6); Page 11 “The Outdoor President” Magazine with photographs 16 1/4 x 11 3/8 in.

Courtesy of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, National Park Service Theodore Roosevelt Mounted on a White Horse, no date Gelatin silver print 8 x 10 in.

Courtesy of Sagamore Hill National Historic Site, National Park Service President Roosevelt and Family, 1903?

Postcard 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

Rough Rider, 1904 Postcard 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections Theodore Roosevelt, 1904 Woven silk 6 3/4 x 5 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections For President Wm. H. Taft, For Vice-President J. S. Sherman, 1908 Embossed postcard 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections Raphael Tuck and Sons Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln, 1909 Embossed postcard 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections Washington, Feb. 22d, 1732–Dec. 27th, 1799, ca. 1909 Postcard 5 1/2 x 3 1/2 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections Pitcher (Theodore Roosevelt), ca. 1910 Lenox porcelain 7 5/8 x 6 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Courtesy of Collection of The New-York Historical Society, Gift of Dr. Arthur H. Merritt, 1961.342 Woodrow Wilson Campaign Button, 1912 Pin back button 2 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell President Franklin D. Roosevelt Inaugural Address, March 4, 1933 Digital video, excerpt from original Universal newsreel Courtesy of Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Hyde Park, NY 43

Ephemera and Objects (continued) LIFE (Franklin D. Roosevelt), January 4, 1937 Magazine 14 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections “Re-Elect Our President Franklin D. Roosevelt,” 1940 Pin back button 3 1/2 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell President Harry S. Truman Speaking on Food for Europe, October 5, 1947 Digital video, excerpt from first White House television broadcast Courtesy of Harry S. Truman Library and Museum, Independence, MO Richard M. Nixon and Family, 1952 Black and white postcard 5 3/8 x 3 3/8 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

“Vote Republican Ike Nixon,” 1952 Jugate pin back button 3 1/2 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell I Like Ike, ca. 1954 Decal 4 3/4 x 3 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections John F. Kennedy – Richard M. Nixon Presidential Debate September 26, 1960 Digital video, excerpt from first televised presidential debate LIFE (Kennedy Inauguration), January 27, 1961, Magazine 14 x 10 3/4 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections

44

Politicards, 1971 Ink on paper, playing cards 4 x 2 1/2 x 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections Nixon Ping Pong Paddle, 1972 Ink on paper, rubber, and wood 10 1/2 x 6 3/8 x 7/8 in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford Sugar Packets, ca. 1974 Sugar packets in plastic case 2 1/2 x 3 3/4 x in.

Hofstra University Libraries, Special Collections President Gerald Ford Slipping and Falling While Disembarking from Air Force One in Salzburg, Austria, June 1, 1975 Reproduction photograph Associated Press “Reagan ’80,” 1980 Pin back button 6 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell President Ronald Reagan Speech at the Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany, June 12, 1987 Digital video, excerpt from television broadcast “It’s Time for a Change Clinton-Gore ’92,” 1992 Pin back button 3 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell Presidential candidate Bill Clinton playing the saxophone on the Arsenio Hall Show, 1992 Digital video, excerpt from television broadcast Courtesy of NBC Television

Charles Dharapack President George W. Bush Making a Face as He Tries to Open a Locked Door as He Leaves a Press Conference in Beijing, China, November 20, 2005 Reproduction photograph, Associated Press “A Birth of New Freedom,” 2008 Pin back button 3 in. diameter Courtesy of Stephen V. Russell Charles Dharapak (Dharapak) “GOLF: Obama reacts on first hole as he vacations in Martha’s Vineyard by @Jacquelyn_M via @AP_Images.”

August 11, 2013, Twitter Post Joe Biden (JoeBiden) “The First Selfie.”

April 16, 2014, Twitter Post PBH Network (PBHNetwork) “Obama, Putin and Biden in One Selfie bit.ly/1jNIN67#images.”

April 23, 2014, Twitter Post The White House (WhiteHouse) “When #WomenSucceed, we all succeed: heforshe.org/#take-action #HeForShe.” September 25, 2014, Twitter Post Jon Feere (JonFeere) “Yahoo News posts article on Ebola and this image in accompanying photo gallery: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-calls-endebola-hysteria-110006011.html.”

October 18, 2014, Twitter Post The White House (WhiteHouse) “Morning Commute.”

October 27, 2014, Twitter Post The Obscene Truth (theobscenetruth) “Barack Obama pretending to be a soldier.

So annoying! #BarackObama #politics.”

January 8, 2015, Twitter Post Oliver (CromwellLP) “Obama’s reference to France as the US’s oldest ally is pathetic. It will annoy the French and irritate the British.”

January 8, 2015, Twitter Post

45

Hofstra University Stuart Rabinowitz

President Andrew M. Boas and Mark L. Claster Distinguished Professor of Law

Herman A. Berliner

Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Lawrence Herbert Distinguished Professor

Hofstra University Museum Beth E. Levinthal Executive Director

Karen T. Albert

Associate Director of Exhibitions and Collections

Caroline S. Bigelow

Senior Assistant to the Executive Director

Kristy L. Caratzola Collections Manager

Tiffany M. Jordan

Development and Membership Coordinator

Nancy Richner

Museum Education Director

Renee B. Seltzer

Museum Educator

Marilyn Zucker

Museum Educator

Graduate Assistantship Frantz Lucien Jr.

Graduate Student Assistants Joie M. Johnson-Walker Chelsea Laggan Lindsay Ralbovsky

Undergraduate Student Assistants Baylee Caudill Roberto Hernandez Claire Ramirez-Raftree Julia Szaniawska

58243:1/15