“Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is sprawled across a police desk as his wife looks on. He was arrested while trying to attend a hearing for civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy and was released when his identity became known to the police. Montgomery, Ala., 1958.” Charles Moore. https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2010/03/charles_moore.html/
In this image, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the leaders of the civil rights movement, is being arrested. This photograph clearly depicts the social injustices going on at the time. It shows two white police officers arresting one of the most important black men in the country, which is a clear representation of the power dynamic during the Civil Rights Movement. It shows how during this time period a man with some of the most political leverage in the country could be taken down by two cops for attending a court hearing simply because of the color of his skin. This is a classic example of a photograph standing on its own, but also being elevated to a new level due to the context of a caption. Making the viewer aware of the blatant injustice happening in the photo completely changes the viewer’s perception of the image – if the context & identities of the people in the photograph were not readily available, then this would simply be a well-composed image of someone being arrested. However, with context, the photograph is a crystal clear representation of the Civil Rights Movement as a whole.
Good summary and commentary.