Image of Nixon campaign parade in Dallas on September 12, 1960
Object number2005.018.0034
Date09/12/1960
ClassificationsPhotographs
Photographer
Anita Hansen
ObjectSlide
Credit LineAnita Hansen Collection/The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza
MediumFilm
Dimensions2 x 2 in. (5.1 x 5.1 cm)
Collections
DescriptionOriginal 35mm color slide on Kodak Kodachrome Transparency Film taken by local amateur photographer Anita Hansen showing a parade held in downtown Dallas for visiting Republican presidential candidate Richard Nixon on September 12, 1960. The photographer stood on Akard Street near the northwest corner of the intersection with Jackson Street. The photo was taken looking straight across Akard Street toward the Baker Hotel. Crowds line both sides of the street and the hotel balcony above, some with campaign placards. A convertible with a sign that reads "PAT and DICK NIXON" drives south on Akard Street. Richard and Pat Nixon sit up on the back of the car, waving to crowds on the other side of the street.
Curatorial CommentaryPhotographer Anita Hansen returned to this same location on the following day, September 13, 1960, to witness a similar parade featuring Senator John F. Kennedy and his running mate, Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
Notice that Vice President Nixon can be seen giving the "V for Victory" sign in this photograph. Use of this hand gesture to signify victory started in 1941 as part of a campaign by the Allies of World War II. More than two decades later, the gesture was widely adopted by members of the 1960s counterculture as a symbol for peace. Richard Nixon gave the "V for Victory" sign countless times during his long political career, most notably while standing in the doorway of Army One as he departed the White House following his resignation on August 9, 1974. - Stephen Fagin, Curator
