Thursday, March 29, 2012

1959 UPI photo of Dwight and Mamie Eisenhower



The large photo (9 inches by 7⅛ inches) was a news photo originally distributed by United Press International. The second image is the caption, which was on a separate sheet of paper and was glued to the photo. The caption states:
WAP-070114..................WASHINGTON BUREAU
43RD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY
WASHINGTON: PRESIDENT AND MRS. EISENHOWER POSE FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS AT THE WHITE HOUSE TODAY ON THEIR 43RD WEDDING ANNIVERSARY. IN ANSWER TO A REPORTERS INQUIRY EARLIER IN THE DAY, THE PRESIDENT SAID, SPEAKING OF HIS MARRIAGE, A SUCCESSFUL MARRIAGE GETS HAPPIER AS THE YEARS GO BY.
The photograph was taken on July 1, 1959. Dwight David Eisenhower and Mamie Geneva Doud were married on July 1, 1916,1 in Denver, Colorado. He was 25 at the time and she was 19. (Their son, John Sheldon Doud Eisenhower , is 89 years old and is the oldest living presidential child as of this writing.)

On the back of the photo is a red "PLEASE CREDIT" stamp from United Press International. The text states, in part: "This picture is for you publication only and must not be loaned, syndicated or used for advertising purposes without written permission from United Press International. By accepting this picture you agree to hold United Press International harmless from any loss or damage arising by reason of your use or publication of this picture."

United Press International is described by Wikipedia as a "once-major international news agency," which accurately sums it up. For almost a century, UPI was a major player in the news business, competing along the Associated Press, Reuters and a handful of other outlets to provide national and international news content to newspapers, radio stations and television stations.

UPI is now a much smaller operation. After some rough times in the 1980s and 1990s, it was purchased in 2000 by the News World Communications.2

Meanwhile, the way that newspapers receive photos from wire services has evolved greatly over the decades. In the early 1990s, when I was working at The Gettysburg Times, photos were transmitted to newsrooms and printed out on AP Leafdesk machines. Here's what one of those photos looked like in September 1993:


Footnotes
1. Also on July 1, 1916, the Philadelphia Phillies defeated the New York Giants, 9-2. The 1916 Phillies featured players named Dode, Gavvy, Possum, Eppa, Erskine, Chief and Bud. Bud's last name was Weiser. That's right, the 1916 Phillies had Bud Weiser. Mr. Weiser was born and died in Shamokin, Pennsylvania.
2. News World Communications was founded in 1976 by Sun Myung Moon, who is 92 years old and was born two years before John Eisenhower.

1 comment:

  1. And in 1916, your great-grandparents were married, too. (11/11/16)

    ReplyDelete