Historical Personas Lessons from the exhibition Mercy : a Roy Orbison pilgrimage Lessons by Mary Erickson, Ph.D. with art teachers Nancy Feiring & Roxie May-Thayer

Projecting Persona is a unit about how we all want others to like and respect us and how public figures use images of themselves to help them reach their goals.

In this unit you will learn how subject matter communicates feelings, mood, or ideas and how color communicates feelings, mood or ideas.

Projecting Persona will introduce you to how public figures carefully work to show themselves in a special way. They want to get our attention and influence what we believe about them. A person’s public image is made to show others and is called his or her persona.

Publicity photos, CD covers, posters and campaign photos are a lot like formal school photos. They are carefully posed, not shot candidly in informal situations. Publicity photos are designed especially to project a persona.

Public figures are people like politicians, entertainers and athletes. What public figures can you name in: PoliticsEntertainmentSports

Have you ever seen a famous public figure in person here in the Valley? Did you know that about 100 years ago a very famous person came to Tempe?

This famous person had been President of the United States. He came to Arizona to dedicate this dam which has his name. Do you know who he was?

When he was no longer president, Teddy Roosevelt still wanted people to pay attention to him and respect his ideas. Here he is speaking at the university in Tempe in 1911.

In 1917, this formal photo of Roosevelt appeared with a magazine article about his role in World War I. What persona does this photo project?

Look very carefully at subject matter. What does the photograph show?

How much of the man do we see? Is his face shown full-face? At an angle? In profile? What is the expression on his face?

Describe his haircut and facial hair. What is he wearing? Does he have any jewelry or accessories?

What feelings, mood or ideas does this image project?

Gentle Strong Intelligent Concerned Happy Serious Fun-loving Sweet Brave Cautious Adventurous

How do you think politicians today use images of themselves to create their personas? What poses, expressions, clothing, jewelry, hairstyles, props, and backgrounds do they choose?

Annie Oakley and Jim Thorpe were other public figures from Roosevelt’s time. They were famous in sports and entertainment rather than in politics.

These are drawings based on publicity photographs. What does the subject matter tell you about the persona each individual wanted to project?

Annie Oakley was born in 1860 and died in She was a sharpshooter with a Wild West show in a time before radio or movies. People went to see her perform in person. She could shoot a dime in midair at 90 feet.

What subject matter details suggest that she is a proper lady? What clothing and props suggest the Wild West?

Jim Thorpe was born in 1888 and died in His Sac and Fox (Native American) name was Wa-Tho-Huk. He was an Olympic champion and played baseball, football and basketball. The Associated Press selected him as the greatest athlete of the first half of the 20 th Century.

How do subject matter details show him as a confident athlete?

Today’s sports figures also use photos to create their personas. What poses, facial expressions, gestures, hairstyles, clothing, jewelry, accessories, props and background do they choose?

We have looked at historical images of a politician, an athlete and an entertainer. Now let’s take a look at the personas projected by entertainers at the beginning of the 20 th Century.

What personas do historical and contemporary musicians want to project? Compare subject matter details then and now? Poses Gestures Facial Expressions Clothing JewelryAccessories PropsBackground

What do the subject matter details suggest about the personas the members of this trio wanted to project?

How are these historical personas of women similar and different?

What feelings, mood or ideas do the poses and clothing of these entertainers suggest?

How are these personas of men similar and different?

Today’s musicians also use photos to create their personas. What poses, facial expressions, gestures, hairstyles, clothing, jewelry, accessories, props and background do they choose?

Can you think of an important visual element that is missing from all the historical images of the politician, athletes and entertainers? How would almost all photographs of public figures today be different because of modern photograph and printing processes?

Most public figures today are photographed in color to reinforce their contemporary persona. What colors do you think Teddy Roosevelt might have liked in his photos to improve his image? What colors do you think Annie Oakley might have chosen? What colors do you think would reinforce Thorpe’s persona as a confident athlete?

What public figures today have personas that help them get attention and reach their goals? For example: PoliticiansAthletesEntertainers John McCain Steve NashJordin Sparks Hillary ClintonSerena Williams50 Cent Mitt RomneyLeBron James Christina Aguilera Rudy GuilianiWang ZhizhiBrad Pitt Barack ObamaTiger WoodsJennifer Lopez Ron PaulCal Ripkin, Jr.Will Smith Janet NapolitanoMia HammKirsten Dunst Others Others Others