International Center for Journalists – ICFJ's Presidential Collection
Auction Ends: Nov 11, 2012 12:00 AM EST

Art

Hats Off to the Gipper, Billings, Montana, 1982 (limited edition, framed photo)

Item Number
115
Estimated Value
2000 USD
Sold
1000 USD to Live Event Bidder

Live Event Item

After the online close, this item went to a Live Event for further bidding. Absentee Bidding offered.

Item Description

Ronald Reagan’s natural charisma and his ability to connect with an audience – as an actor and later as a politician – earned him the nickname “The Great Communicator.” Both talents were on display in this David Hume Kennerly shot. Raising high his signature white cowboy hat, the 40th president waved farewell to the appreciative crowd at a congressional campaign stop in Billings, Montana.

“This photograph shows Reagan’s sense of the camera,” Kennerly said. “That paid off for him in the presidency.”

In his first run for office in 1980, Reagan was often challenged about his background – long in entertainment but short in politics. His only previous public office had been as governor of California. But Reagan knew that the skills he had polished during his career in radio, film and television were also useful in politics. “How can a president not be an actor?” he said. 

Item Special Note

This framed photo is signed and numbered by Kennerly. It is a 16" by 20" archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Fine Art Baryta paper.