The Louisville Flood Photo by Margaret Bourke-White Essay

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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.

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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/.

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

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