Another amazing image in the series The Art of War – he’s got a lot of those old propaganda posters. They’re incredible.
Also, y’know – I have looked at this image probably, oh, 30 times now … and I still can’t figure it out. But I can’t stop looking at it either.
I think J. Edgar Hoover and Shirley Temple might have been joking around, as in–he was “locking” her up. It is bizarre, though.
Bizarre is a pretty mild description for that one! DBW is probably right about Hoover ostensibly locking her up, but it’s still a VERY strange image. I love the phrase “moppet-bondage” in the comments on that site…
I didn’t even know it was Shirley Temple at first – she’s wearing this kind of dowdy housedress – and she’s budding on the edge of womanhood – and the whole thing is totally bizarre.
And also hysterical!
It is hilarious, when you think about it. J. Edgar Hoover has Shirley Temple in bondage on what looks like a farmhouse lawn somewhere on the plains of Kansas.
With the deep shadows, I never would have guessed who the girl was…
It’s a weird’un, no doubt. There’s a lot of relatively prosaic publicity shots of the late FBI Director and Temple (I was even planning on using one for that series until I came across it), but I’m pretty certain this isn’t one of them; more likely something shot during one of Hoover’s visits out west (for all we know the photographer was Clyde Tolson).
The two were relatively close, believe it or not; maintaining a correspondence that lasted from the late 30s to the end of Hoover’s life .
Temple always did have a thing for Fascists.
I had no idea they were buds. That explains a bit this bizarre photo – it doesn’t seem QUITE so random.
Like – Hoover – please let Shirley out of that cage, mkay? But then you see the SMILE on Shirley’s face and you think: So … er … Shirley Temple likes being caged?
WTF??
Tom, thanks for the info.
I too had puzzled over that pic a few times.
Regards, Hank
ps Off topic, Red, thx for the pointer a few days ago to bibigreycat. A very cool site.