Photo by Burt Glinn -- Brita Ness

Burt Glinn (b. 1925, d. 2008) took this photo in Washington, D.C. the morning after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. When examining the photograph, my eye was immediately drawn to the partially-destroyed mannequin leaning against a sign pole. The mannequin's arms have been removed and rough holes cover the front of her body. Her head is situated almost dead center of the composition and is turned slightly to gaze outside of the frame of the photo. The image clearly captures three poles, receding diagonally toward the background. A dark object -- perhaps another mannequin torso, a garbage can, or something else -- lies next to the mannequin. Behind the foregrounded sidewalk, poles, and mannequin, two soldiers can be observed through a thick layer of mist/fog. Each is holding a weapon (or some rod-like object) upward and diagonally, facing in opposite directions. Three more poles and the outlines of city buildings are barely visible through the fog in the top half of the photo. Wet and covered with rubble and puddles, the street reflects the morning light and emphasizes the darker elements in the photo, namely the poles and the mannequin in the foreground.