A History of Photography in USC Libraries Collections

First Shipment of Polio Vaccine, April 13, 1955

This photograph plays a major role in expressing how important the arrival of the Polio vaccine was. It was key that people around the globe heard about this major event, and thanks to photography’s connection with mass media, that was achieved. A major role of vernacular photography is to document events, whether a small family event or a global phenomenon like this. More importantly, the image was taken by a professional photojournalist, a staff photographer named Snow for the Los Angeles Examiner, who deliberately avoided any artistic effects or blurs. The purpose of the photo is to get a clear message across, hence why it is sharp and not made to make us think. This effect also makes the viewer feel like they are part of the event. The photograph does a great job in capturing the emotions of those in the shot, and it is key to understand that a major part of vernacular photography is to document not only major or minor events, but also the characters of those events. In fact, the subjects of events give us almost all the information we need to know. For example, in Snow’s photograph, the viewer’s eye is instantly directed towards the eyes and smiles of the two men. This helps educate the viewer that the arrival of the vaccine was one that was much needed, and the subjects in the photo are relieved and happy to have finally obtained a cure.

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