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[Five Gentlemen Conversing around a Table], 1920s–30s
Erich Salomon (German, 1886–1944)
Gelatin silver print; 6 7/8 x 9 1/8 in. (17.4 x 23.2 cm)
Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.268)

The phrase "candid camera" was first coined in 1929 to describe Salomon's idiosyncratic technique of capturing the world's most powerful political and industrial leaders revealing themselves as ordinary human beings: talking, yawning, and joking. With his 35mm Ermanox camera concealed (sometimes in a hat or suitcase) and his unobtrusive appearance, Salomon was able to cut through the slick facade conveyed by official state portraits, both deflating and humanizing the politicians he photographed. This picture was taken in the Reichskanzlei in Berlin.


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    [Five Gentlemen Conversing around a Table], 1920s–30s
    Erich Salomon (German, 1886–1944)
    Gelatin silver print; 6 7/8 x 9 1/8 in. (17.4 x 23.2 cm)
    Ford Motor Company Collection, Gift of Ford Motor Company and John C. Waddell, 1987 (1987.1100.268)