Ronald Reagan
1972
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 16.4 x 21.6 cm (6 7/16 x 8 1/2 in.) sheet: 35.2 x 27.7 cm (13 7/8 x 10 7/8 in.)
Classification
Photograph
Department
CPH
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund
Accession Number
2001.67.176
Art Historical Context
In 1972, acclaimed American photographer Bill Owens captured this striking gelatin silver print portrait of Ronald Reagan, then serving as Governor of California. Owens, best known for his groundbreaking *Suburbia* series everyday life in California's Livermore Valley during the late 1960s and early 1970s, brought his keen documentary eye to political subjects. This image, measuring 16.4 x 21.6 cm, exemplifies Owens' straightforward, unembellished style, which influenced the New Topographics movement by blending social observation with sharp technical precision. The gelatin silver print mediu...