Images, such as photographs or paintings, depict situations, and pass crucial information. It is essential to note that an image can have surface, profound, or no meaning at all depending on the viewer or how the painter or the photographer has framed the message. Images are essential aspects considering that they capture and preserve historical events, tell stories or help one to pass important messages. Margaret Bourke-White, an American photographer, attracted a group of Africa-Americans who lined for relief food following the 1937 Louisville flood. While her initial intention was to depict the realities of the flood aftermath, the photograph has become a significant image capturing the economic, social, and cultural aspects of the time. The photograph's background, which is a billboard of a white nuclear family in a family car with their pet contrasts with the realities presented in the photograph. Analyzing this photograph from personal, historical, cultural, ethical, technical, and critical perspectives would help to gain deeper meanings.
Personal Perspective
I chose this image because it appears surreal and out of this world when one first looks at it. When I first looked at the photograph, I thought that the pedestrians were crossing the road, unaware of the danger the car posed. The pedestrians seem oblivious to the car, which made me wonder why they did not seem bothered by its presence. It is at this point that I realized that the vehicle and its occupants were the contents of a billboard. The billboard asserts that the white nuclear family is the epitome of the American standard of living, which is the ‘world’s highest standard of living.’ The image became more interesting when I saw that the billboard further asserts that ‘there is no way like the American way,’ and I thought that the pedestrians were headed to that way.
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The other reason I choose this image is the fact that it did not seem to match the headline. The headline established that these people were flood victims and had lined to receive aid at a relief station at Louisville, Kentucky. Looking at how these African-Americans are dressed, they do not appear to be suffering. The men are wearing long coats, hats, and non-wrinkled pants while the women hat hats, heels, and pea coats. The only thing that ties them to the flood is the fact that some of them have containers for putting in relief food.
The black and white photograph is an excellent choice since it helps to put a distinction between the African Americans and the whites at the time of this flood. The African Americans are dressed in black while the whites are dressed in white and gray, making each of the races conspicuous. One can establish that the photographer wanted to make this distinction by placing the whites in a car while the African Americans are on the ground.
Historical Perspective
The photograph is a depiction of the flooding of Louisville, Kentucky, on 27th January 1937. This area is subject to flooding, considering that it is a low-lying land located along the Ohio River. Louisville is also prone to flash floods, especially when heavy rains fill the local streams. The 1937 flooding is considered one of the worst disasters since the flood covered about 70 percent of the city. On January 27, the water levels at the Ohio River rose to 460 feet above sea level, which translated to 40 feet above normal levels (Tenkotte & Claypool, 2015). The flood displaced about 175,000 people in addition to costing the city $250 million in damages, which is about $1 billion in today’s rates.
Margaret Bourke White, a journalist who worked with the LIFE magazine at the time, took a photograph. The magazine had received reports regarding the flood and wanted to capture moments from the devastating flood. Bourke-White had one hour to reach Louisville and take photographs before the situation worsened. Reports indicate that the scope of the flooding forced Bourke-White to capture the flood that claimed over 400 lives from a makeshift raft (Kleber 2015). The photograph features African Americans women, men, and children, some of the flood victims lining up for rations.
The photograph has a historical connotation, primarily when one focuses on the billboard that forms the background. Arthur Rothstein created the billboard for the National created the billboard in 1937 to establish the growing significance of technology in America. The advertisement is reflective of a nation that was recovering from the Great Depression of 1929. McDonough & Egolf maintain that the NAM billboard with its vision of prosperity and contentment loomed above.” (2025, p. 772). While the advertisement was an attempt to spread hope across the nation by insisting that the American Dream was still valid and achievable, it contrasted with the impoverished flood victims waiting for food relief. Looking at the billboard, one can conclude that cars were the ultimate symbol of the highest standards of living. The whites who advanced capitalism could afford this luxury and carry their pets in the vehicles when the African Americans lined for relief food.
Technical Perspective
The image is a photograph that was captured by Margaret Bourke-White on the aftermath of the Infamous flooding at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1937. The black and white photograph on a gelatin silver print measures 24.6 cm by 34 cm (Bourke-White, 1970). the photographs employ various artistic elements, which make it an outstanding Great Depression icon. The photo contains both the foreground and the background with the foreground representing the African Americans and the background representing the whites. The whites seem to be placed in an elevated position, something that makes them appear as if they are engulfing the African-Americans. The photographer has employed contrast, principally considering that while the photograph is about flooding, there is no sign for flooding. The photographer's focus is on the African Americans who do not appear to be suffering from the adverse effects of the flood.
The photograph demonstrates the use of tone to distinguish the foreground from the background. The foreground uses black to represent African Americans who have donned black outfits. On the other hand, the background adopts fairer tones with the family exuding happiness and hope. While the individuals in the queue seem to be bothered by the billboard, they seem to be aware of the photographer. Looking at the photograph, one can establish that the image is a close-up, as some of the African-Americans appear to be focusing on the photographer.
The photograph embraces more artistic and technical aspects considering that it is a picture-within-a picture. The focus of the photographer was the queue of the African-Americans lining for relief, but within this photograph is a billboard with a different message. The advertisement seems to contradict the primary photograph making it stand out as an artistic representation. The photograph strengthens the poster’s illusionism and artificiality, considering that the photograph is the reality while the sign is the dream. The whites appear to be the idealized stereotypes while the blacks are unique beings who are responding to a predicament
Ethical Perspective
The photograph aligns with various philosophies as an image that allows for an ethical argument. The photograph depicts two sides of the divide with the poster presenting the ideal American landscape and the photograph representing the reality on the ground. The poster captures an all-white nuclear family together with their pet in their family car, and they seem content. The billboard appears to advance the notion that the nation has managed to improve the living standards of its people in the era of industrialization. (Glick 2018) asserts, “the photograph calls attention to the persistent incongruity between economic fantasy and grim quotidian reality.” (p. 81).An all-white nuclear family brings about an ethical argument in that it fails to account for the millions of members of the minority groups in the US. The billboard is an attempt to ignore other groups who are reeling from the effects of the 1929 Great Depression and, more specifically, the African Americans affected by the Louisville Flood.
The poster in the photograph seems to be aligned with the philosophy of hedonism. This ethical theory that was founded by Aristippus establishes that the components of wellbeing are seeking pleasure and avoid suffering (Dietz, 2019). The photograph affirms and rejects this philosophy in equal measure by enforcing realism and idealism, both of which contribute to a greater ethical issue of stereotyping and inequality. The poster represents the ideal American economy and family by establishing that ‘there is no way like the American way.’ While this could be a perfect way, it is not considering that it is only a dream that is not easy to achieve, especially in a diverse country. The poster seems to indicate that technology, which is represented by the car, is the surest way of achieving the American Dream.
This assumption eliminates the contribution of agricultural, finance, service, educational, and other sectors to the realization of the American Dream. In the same manner, the pursuit of happiness raises an ethical issue since it ignores the plight of the minority groups. The US cannot possibly appear to be enjoying the highest living standards, while a significant portion of its population is suffering from the effects of the flood. If the nation is to achieve its dream, then it must involve all its citizens no matter the diversities they represent.
Cultural Perspective
The photograph is a powerful representation of the prevailing culture in American society both in the 1930s and now. The picture forms a binary montage relationship since the image and the poster could be juxtaposed to produce a third cultural meaning. The sign is representative of the manufacturing era, with cars being the epitome of industrialization. However, the benefits of industrialization seem to be skewed towards the dominant race, the whites. African Americans, on the other hand, appear to be subjected to this domination, considering that they are in the lower ground. The poster and the photographs carry crucial cultural perspectives at the time.
The poster depicts Whites who represent a family unit with a father, a mother, their son, daughter, and a pet. The family mirrors the ideal American family, with the father being in charge of the family in a patriarchal society. The family appears to belong to the upper social class since they possess a car making them seem to be in charge of their destiny. The poster is indicative of a nation that is keen on achieving the American dream in the wake of the Great Depression. On the other hand, the photograph depicts a queue of black pedestrians who are lining for clothing and food following the devastating flood (Taylor, 2019). Unlike the poster, which represents a family unit, the pedestrians are detached from each other coming out as careworn and passive. These individuals who are facing the margin are at the mercy of others who can ensure that they get their rations to ensure that they live to see another day.
These two images indicate a culture that has allowed economic inequalities to thrive in as much as the country is endowed with enough resources. The minority groups pose a threat to the dominant group, and the dog in the car seems to be barking at them to move away from the approaching vehicle. The poster is indicative of a nation that has failed to address the existing inequalities and instead purports to have the highest living standards in the world (Tittenbrun, 2015) The cable on the poster seems to negate this thought by cutting across the word ‘LIVING.’
Critical Perspective
Having focused on other perspectives, my understanding of the image has changed drastically. The image not only captures a historical situation but a rampant social issue revolving around racial and economic inequalities. The minority groups in the US have and still appear as a forgotten group and are at the mercy of the dominant whites. The dominant race possesses the means to face the future, while the minority groups must do all they can to survive in the harsh world. In as much as a nation must hope for the best, it is hypocritical for the government to believe that it has achieved its dream. If a country is to claim that it has the highest living standards in the world, all citizens must be living within those standards.
The photograph combines various perspectives that help to shift the focus from the flood, which is the main reason for the image to profound ethical and social issues. The city of Louisville is a mixed-race society, but one wonders whether the flood only affected the blacks. One cannot help but wonder why there are no whites in the queue even though the flood affected about 70 percent of the city. The answer to this question may lie in the fact that in the 1930s, racial segregation was dominant, meaning that whites and blacks could not mix. Meisenhelter (2018) establishes that racial discrimination was embedded in American cities from as early as 1930 up to 1968. the flood may have affected the whites too, but they lined somewhere else to get relief, or maybe they had saved enough to cater to their needs. To this end, I assert that the photograph not only brings out different meanings but also provokes a myriad of questions in the viewer.
Conclusion
Margaret Burke-White’s photograph on the Kentucky flood of 1937 is an image that depicts more than it was intended to. The photograph was meant to capture the aftermath of the flood, but the background poster brings out an entirely new meaning to the picture. The most outstanding aspect of this photograph is the fact that it does not capture the actual flood but an imaginary flood. The queuing African Americans are flood victims who are hoping to receive aid from the Red Cross relief center at Louisville. The advertisement compounds the flood’s effects with the car, appearing as if it is about to hit the pedestrians. The poster is sending a message that the nation has the highest living standards in the world, but the reality of the blacks contravenes the intended message. To this end, the photograph becomes a tool for establishing that the nation is yet to achieve the American Dream owing to widespread inequalities.
References
Dietz, A. (2019). Explaining the paradox of hedonism. Australasian Journal of Philosophy , 97(3), 497-510. https://doi.org/10.1080/00048402.2018.1483409
Grim, J. (2018). Los Angeles documentary and the production of public history, 1958-1977 . University of California Press.
Kleber, J. E. (2015). The Encyclopedia of Louisville (4 th ed.). The University Press of Kentucky.
McDonough, J., Egolf, K. (2015). The advertising age: Encyclopedia of advertising (3 rd ed.). Routledge.
Meisenhelter, J. (2018, March 27). How 1930s discrimination shaped inequality in today’s cities. National Community Reinvestment Coalition. https://ncrc.org/how-1930s-discrimination shaped-inequality-in-todays-cities/
Taylor, A. (2019, August 28). The Photography of Margaret Bourke-White. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2019/08/photography-of-margaret-bourke-white/596980/
Tenkotte, P. A., & Claypool, J. C. (2015). The encyclopedia of Northern Kentucky . The University Press of Kentucky
Tittenbrun, J. (2015). The myth of the American Dream. World Scientific News . http://www.worldscientificnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/WSN-9-2015-1-16.pdf
Bourke-White, M. (1970). The Louisville Flood. Whitney Museum of American Art . (2020). https://whitney.org/collection/works/8061
Appendix A
Flood Refugees, Louisville, Kentucky
