ABSTRACT
In organising 'The Family of Man', curator Edward Steichen set out to show the universality of human experience and make a positive statement that would defy Cold War-era political tensions. Much of 'The Family of Man's' impact was thanks to Steichen's curating. Rather than hanging the photographs at eye level, one after another, his exhibition took influence from Bauhaus design. Unframed photographs of many different sizes were hung at the various heights, some on the wall, others on the ceiling, on the floor, or suspended from wire. Latterly, contemporary scholars have offered a different interpretation, suggesting that Steichen was not erasing difference, but embracing similarities. They propose that this was an antidote to fascist rhetoric, which was based upon emphasising difference between the races. Today, the exhibition remains an important case study in how attitudes to imagery shift over time.
