Roosevelt at the Third World Power Conference

What it is

This is a black-and-white photograph showing a large hall with a curved colonnade, draped backdrop, American flags, and a crowd facing a stage where men in suits stand. A handwritten caption identifies the scene as President Roosevelt entering the congress hall at Constitution Hall, Washington, during the Third World Power Conference. The photograph is held by the Rijksmuseum in the Netherlands.

Why it matters

The image captures Franklin D. Roosevelt in his role as U.S. president making a public address to an international gathering. It shows how presidents used major public events to speak directly to large audiences and international visitors, and gives a sense of the formal settings in which political speeches took place in the 1930s.

Look closer

• What does the setting — the flags, the stage, the crowd — tell you about the importance of this event?
• Why might a photographer have chosen to capture Roosevelt entering the hall rather than mid-speech?
• What does the photograph not tell you about what Roosevelt actually said?