Wendell Willkie, G.O.P. Candidate, Elwood, Indiana

© Estate of John D. Collins

Wendell Willkie, G.O.P. Candidate, Elwood, Indiana

Currently not on view

Wendell Willkie, G.O.P. Candidate, Elwood, Indiana,

1940

John D. Collins, American, 1908–1963
2011-171

Wendell Willkie was the Republican nominee in the 1940 presidential election, running against the incumbent
Franklin D. Roosevelt in his unprecedented (and successful) bid for a third term. A lawyer and utility company executive, Willkie was, until recently, the only major-party nominee for president without prior experience in either the government or military. Collins documented Willkie’s triumphant parade through his hometown of Elwood, Indiana, on the day he officially accepted the Republican nomination. The photograph juxtaposes the real Willkie with printed headshots affixed to the town’s streetlights, emphasizing the difference between the dignified picture of the presidential candidate and the fiery performance of the actual man.

Information

Title
Wendell Willkie, G.O.P. Candidate, Elwood, Indiana
Dates

1940

Maker
John D. Collins
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
27.3 × 34.3 cm (10 3/4 × 13 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Marthe M. Smith
Object Number
2011-171
Place Depicted

North America, United States, Indiana, Elwood

Marks/Labels/Seals
Photographer's World Wide stamp and caption on verso
Culture
American
Type
black-and-white photographs, photographs, gelatin silver prints
Techniques
gelatin silver process
Subject
men, figures (representations), government, people, politicians, campaigns

Down the Dusty Street of Elwood, Ind. Rides Wendell Willkie Waging the Decades Greatest Political Campaign

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