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Doing Democracy, Victoria

Doing Democracy

This image captured by Dmitri Baltermants seems to be a form of propaganda for Communist China. Mao Zedong is in the center of the photo and his face is facing the camera, but his eyes do meet the camera. He has a slight smile, but he does not show teeth, and this indicates to me that he is purposefully dancing in front of the camera as a sign of propaganda. The woman he is dancing with does not show her face and we see her back. The other people in the background are smiling brightly, indicating that they are enjoying the dance.

Dmitri Baltermants, Russian, 1912 – 1990. 1957 (Printed 2003). Mao on the dance floor, Beijing 1957. Photograph. Place: Lehigh University Art Galleries, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, USA. For more information, contact us at LUAG@Lehigh.edu. https://library-artstor-org.ezproxy.lib.lehigh.edu/asset/28752108.

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