TOM HOWARD (1894-1961) A vintage exhibition print of the execution of Ruth Snyder at Sing Sing. Enlarged silver print on board, the image measuring 39x29 inches (99x73.7 cm.), the original frame overall 42x32 inches (106.7x81.3 cm.). January 12, 1928; printed circa 1936
This print was originally made to be exhibited at the Expo of San Diego in 1936. The exposition was first held in 1935 to great success, and so was repeated and redesigned the following year. One of the new buildings reflected the growing field of photojournalism and sensationalized news. The exhibition, titled Front Page and located on the main thoroughfare, highlighted events that had grabbed the front page of newspapers around the country between the years 1910 and 1935. The imagery focused primarily on the sensational, including gangsters, wrecks, murders, and accidents, and ranged from the bombing of the LA Times building to the Lindbergh Kidnapping. Perhaps the most sensational was the photograph offered here, which was all the more astonishing for having been made in secret at Sing Sing by Howard, who managed to record Synder's moment of execution with a camera strapped to his ankle. It ran on the front page of the New York Daily News with the headline "DEAD!" screaming above the historic image of Snyder, who appears to be shaking. In extant images of the exhibition hall, this large-format framed work can be seen mounted on the exterior of the building, designed to grab passers-by.
