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Artist
Unidentified Artist
Sitter
Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 30 Jan 1882 - 12 Apr 1945
Date
c. 1940
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image: 16 × 21.2 cm (6 5/16 × 8 3/8")
Sheet: 18.2 × 23 cm (7 3/16 × 9 1/16")
Mat: 45.7 × 35.6 cm (18 × 14")
Topic
Interior
Equipment\Sound Devices\Microphone
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses\Pince-nez
Artwork\Portrait
Equipment\Smoking Implements\Ashtray
Home Furnishings\Curtain
Costume\Dress Accessory\Neckwear\Tie\Bowtie
Personal Attribute\Teeth
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Male
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Law and Crime\Lawyer
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\Governor\New York
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\President of US
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\State Senator\New York
Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Politics and Government\Vice-Presidential Candidate
Portrait
Place
United States\District of Columbia\Washington
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Object number
S/NPG.78.158
Exhibition Label
Born Hyde Park, New York
The twentieth century saw the explosion of mass media, from print to television, and Franklin Roosevelt was an early political master of the radio airwaves. Having famously declared in his first inaugural address that the “only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” he went on to say that “In every dark hour of our national life a leadership of frankness and vigor has met with that understanding and support of the people themselves.” His famous “Fireside Chats,” broadcast on the radio, seemed to speak directly to every American family listening in their homes and established a bond between the avuncular patrician and the ordinary people. Politics and political leadership was becoming more personal, and Roosevelt’s mastery of the media showed his grasp of the new reality.
Nacido en Hyde Park, New York
El siglo XX fue testigo de la gran explosión de los medios de comunicación masiva, desde la prensa hasta la televisión, y Franklin Roosevelt fue un hábil pionero del uso político de las ondas radiales. Habiendo afirmado en su primer discurso de toma de posesión que “lo único que debemos temer es el temor mismo”, prosiguió a declarar que “en cada hora adversa de nuestra vida nacional, un liderato franco y enérgico ha contado con la comprensión y el apoyo del pueblo”. Sus famosas “charlas junto a la chimenea”, transmitidas al país por radio, parecían una conversación directa con cada familia que lo escuchaba en su hogar y establecieron un vínculo entre el prócer paternalista y la gente común. La política y el liderazgo político estaban adquiriendo un mayor matiz personal, y la maestría de Roosevelt en los medios de comunicación evidenciaba su conciencia de la nueva realidad.
