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Primary sourcePhotographc. 1915

Rockefeller, Head Shot

American Press Association · c. 1915

A widely circulated press photograph of John D. Rockefeller around 1915, showing his aged face after losing his hair to illness.

This press photograph shows Rockefeller in old age, illustrating his public image late in life.

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Black-and-white head-and-shoulders photograph of an elderly man in a tall silk top hat, dark coat, white collar and dark tie, with a scarf at his neck, looking toward the camera with a stern expression.
American Press Association, portrait of John D. Rockefeller, c. 1915.

About this source

What it is

This is a black-and-white head-and-shoulders photograph of John D. Rockefeller taken around 1915 by the American Press Association, a news photo agency. It shows him in a top hat, dark coat and tie, looking sternly at the camera.

Why it matters

By 1915 Rockefeller was one of the most famous and controversial men in America, and press photographs like this one helped shape how the public saw him in his later years, after an illness had caused him to lose his hair. It was widely circulated in newspapers of the time.

Look closer

  • What does his expression and clothing suggest about how he wanted to be seen?
  • Why might a news agency have wanted to photograph an elderly businessman?
  • How might this image have shaped public opinion of him?

This photograph is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of John D. Rockefeller on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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