Photography in This Photograph, the Prominent Motif Essay

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…