Rare oversized vintage glossy 13 x 10.5 photo of Truman holding up the memorable ‘Dewey Defeats Truman’ issue of the Chicago Tribune, signed and inscribed in fountain pen, “To Courtney Barber, with happy memories! Harry Truman, 8/12/56.” Attractively cloth-matted and framed to an overall size of 21.5 x 19. In very good condition, with overall creases (most noticeably are diagonal creases to upper right and vertical extending from bottom edge through his arm, but not affecting signature), and mild crazing to emulsion.
Three years after assuming the presidency following the death of FDR, President Truman held a mere 35% approval rating going into the 1948 campaign season. Facing a strong competitor in New York Governor Thomas Dewey, who had made a strong showing against Roosevelt four years prior and was running a well-financed campaign, and struggling to unite the Democratic party—which was split into three factions going into the election—virtually no one expected Truman to win the election, including the press. The Chicago Daily Tribune, a pro-Republican newspaper, was so sure of Dewey's victory that on Tuesday, November 2, before any polls closed, it printed the now famous “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN” headline for the following day. Gleefully displaying the misinformed paper on his train the following morning, this is one of the most famous political photos in US history. An unusually large size, this is a highly desirable piece. Pre-certified John Reznikoff/PSA/DNA and RR Auction COA.
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