For this reflection, I decided to reflect upon what I think was my favorite portrait in the gallery. That would be one of Martin Luther King Jr. that I spotted on the first floor.

Although it might seem that way, I am not a cop-out for choosing a picture of MLK. Even for all his virtues and triumphs, I am not going to use this reflection to extoll them. I instead will explain why exactly this portrait such a more powerful effect on me than any other.

The reason that I liked this portrait the most was becuase, instead of all the rest that I saw, it was natural. The picture was a snapshot, taken by a photographer for a newspaper at a conferance. For that reason, I think that this photograph, much more so than any presidential photograph, captures the identity of the subject. While every president chose whether to look regal, stern, composed or friendly, MLK was depicted in a natural state. I love the fact that, in a picture taken in split-second, he could look contemplative and forceful.

Maybe the Reverend Dr. knew that he was being photographed, and was sure to affect this pose for the entire conference. Maybe the photograph still only captures a front. I do not believe it does, and I think that this is one of the few portraits in the gallery that show an individual as he truly was in real life.