1976 Stanley Forman-signed “Soiling of Old Glory" Photo
Watch
GUEST:
My father was city editor at The Boston Herald at the time of some segregation issues in the city of Boston. He assigned Stanley Forman to a photography shoot at a demonstration. This picture is one that Stanley took as a consequence of an altercation in front of the city hall. It won a Pulitzer Prize. He won two Pulitzer Prizes, and both times, he was assigned to take the photographs by my father. I'm very proud of that.
APPRAISER:
Well, this photo is one of the iconic photographs of America of the Civil Rights Movement. It was taken in April of 1976. It depicts racial conflict in Boston around the school busing issue. This is Boston City Hall Plaza. There had just been a rally with a Boston city councilor named Louise Day Hicks, who didn't want busing, didn't want to integrate the schools at all.
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
And she had riled the crowd up.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
So they had sort of, coming out of the city hall, and they were heading towards the federal courthouse to protest there. The man in the photograph, his name is Ted Landsmark.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm.
APPRAISER:
And he just happened to be going to a meeting. He was also, happened to be a civil rights lawyer. One of the protesters picked up the American flag and ran at him with it. Stanley captured it. Now, the, the title of this photograph is "Soiling of Old Glory."
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
Ted Landsmark has, ended up having his nose broken. The police pulled him out of there. Once this image appeared—and it went nationwide-- then people started taking a lot more note. And it really pushed people to really start dealing with it. It was a terrible scene in Boston. It's an absolutely fabulous photo. I have not seen many signed copies turn up, but I would say, conservatively, on a retail basis, $2,000 to $3,000.
GUEST:
Really?
APPRAISER:
Really-- I mean, it's such an iconic photo. It's fabulous.
GUEST:
I appreciate it, thank you very much.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
