Truck into house at 2461 North Eastern Ave., Los Angeles, March 20, 1958
This image taken by Wesselmann shows to viewers an accident that had taken place: a truck had driven into a house and caused the damage shown in the photo. Aspects of the image represent the photographic technology of the time. Despite being taken indoors, the photo is brightly lit and various textures in the image are made visible. The light source was intense, as suggested by the shadow cast by the man. This use of light in this image enhances the realization of various textual details that can be seen where sections of the truck are exposed through the destroyed wall. Metal and crumbles of concrete present themselves in a range of distorted shapes. The chaotic foreground contrasts what seems to be a rather calm background, strengthening the composition of the image and putting more emphasis on the accident. The photograph is journalistic because it portrays something that is not accessible to the public. There is a spectacular nature to accidents which people who are not involved with are unlikely to be able to gain access to; hence the ability of the public to gain knowledge of the accident is heavily dependent upon “insiders” like photographers. Because of the evolution of photojournalism, the public was then able to witness social issues and public happenings even without personal physical presence. The image also has a candid nature to it: neither subjects of the image look towards and acknowledge the camera. Rather, they continue to observe the scene and seem to ignore the presence of the photographer. This again highlights the photograph’s significance at the intersection between candid photography and photojournalism.