The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White Essay

Exclusively available on Available only on IvyPanda® Made by Human No AI

It is important to note that the author of the photo is a photojournalist Margaret Bourke-White, who specially arrived in Kentucky to take photos immediately after the flood. The main feature of the photojournalist was that she made interesting shots of the flooded city. In addition, the philosophy of Margaret Bourke-White was to convey the real feelings of people affected by the flood. Thus, the author’s photography conveys not only the problems of people affected by the flood but also the general mood in American society (Bourke-White). This is because the Great Depression was one of the main problems of the twenties and the thirties.

The photo “The Louisville Flood” means to demonstrate the desperation of people who came to receive food. The peculiarity of this photo is that it shows the contrast between the black people standing in line and the white ones painted on the placard. The bold font states, “The highest standard of living in the world,” and represents a happy former family, which corresponds to all American ideals (Bourke-White). Thus, this photo demonstrates the financial and cultural gap that existed in America at that time. It can be assumed that Margaret Bourke-White felt the despair and pain of the people in line and the injustice that existed in society. This is because the photo was taken in such a way as to show the poster and the woman queuing for bread accurately (Bourke-White). At the same time, the photographic message of the photo indicates that the propaganda depicting a happy life in America is not justified because there are people standing under the poster who are suffering.

Reference

Bourke-White, Margaret.1970. “The Louisville Flood”. Whitney Museum of American Art.

More related papers Related Essay Examples
Cite This paper
You're welcome to use this sample in your assignment. Be sure to cite it correctly

Reference

IvyPanda. (2023, September 1). The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-louisville-flood-photo-by-margaret-bourke-white/

Work Cited

"The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White." IvyPanda, 1 Sept. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/the-louisville-flood-photo-by-margaret-bourke-white/.

References

IvyPanda. (2023) 'The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White'. 1 September.

References

IvyPanda. 2023. "The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White." September 1, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-louisville-flood-photo-by-margaret-bourke-white/.

1. IvyPanda. "The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White." September 1, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-louisville-flood-photo-by-margaret-bourke-white/.


Bibliography


IvyPanda. "The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White." September 1, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/the-louisville-flood-photo-by-margaret-bourke-white/.

If, for any reason, you believe that this content should not be published on our website, please request its removal.
Updated:
This academic paper example has been carefully picked, checked and refined by our editorial team.
No AI was involved: only quilified experts contributed.
You are free to use it for the following purposes:
  • To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
  • As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
  • As a template for you assignment
Privacy Settings

IvyPanda uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience, enabling functionalities such as:

  • Basic site functions
  • Ensuring secure, safe transactions
  • Secure account login
  • Remembering account, browser, and regional preferences
  • Remembering privacy and security settings
  • Analyzing site traffic and usage
  • Personalized search, content, and recommendations
  • Displaying relevant, targeted ads on and off IvyPanda

Please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy for detailed information.

Required Cookies & Technologies
Always active

Certain technologies we use are essential for critical functions such as security and site integrity, account authentication, security and privacy preferences, internal site usage and maintenance data, and ensuring the site operates correctly for browsing and transactions.

Site Customization

Cookies and similar technologies are used to enhance your experience by:

  • Remembering general and regional preferences
  • Personalizing content, search, recommendations, and offers

Some functions, such as personalized recommendations, account preferences, or localization, may not work correctly without these technologies. For more details, please refer to IvyPanda's Cookies Policy.

Personalized Advertising

To enable personalized advertising (such as interest-based ads), we may share your data with our marketing and advertising partners using cookies and other technologies. These partners may have their own information collected about you. Turning off the personalized advertising setting won't stop you from seeing IvyPanda ads, but it may make the ads you see less relevant or more repetitive.

Personalized advertising may be considered a "sale" or "sharing" of the information under California and other state privacy laws, and you may have the right to opt out. Turning off personalized advertising allows you to exercise your right to opt out. Learn more in IvyPanda's Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy.

1 / 1