Flower Power by P. Conklin - 1967

📜 Description
Striking photograph by Paul Conklin, taken during the March on the Pentagon on October 21, 1967, in Washington, D.C., one of the defining events of the Vietnam War protest movement. The image captures a moment of direct confrontation between young anti-war demonstrators and U.S. Army troops deployed to secure the Pentagon. At the center of the composition, a protester extends a flower toward the barrels of soldiers’ rifles, creating an immediate and powerful visual tension between violence and nonviolence—an image that has come to embody the ethos of the 1960s counterculture. This historic photograph stands as a quintessential press photograph of the period.

The verso caption provides precise context: “War protest—during the March on the Pentagon, October 21, 1967, this confrontation involving flowers and gun barrels took place between troops sent by the Army and these young demonstrators.” The stamp “Photograph by Paul Conklin – PIX” confirms authorship and agency distribution, situating the vintage print firmly within the editorial press circuit. As such, the photograph is not only a record of an event but a primary visual document that contributed to shaping the public image of protest in the late 1960s.

📚 Historical–Artistic Note
The March on the Pentagon marked a pivotal moment in the visibility and symbolic power of the American anti-war movement, gathering tens of thousands of demonstrators in a highly mediatized act of dissent. Photographs produced on that day, including this image by Paul Conklin, played a crucial role in defining the visual language of protest, with the “flower power” gesture emerging as a universal symbol of peaceful resistance.

From a technical standpoint, the silver gelatin print displays the strong contrast characteristic of editorial photography of the era, emphasizing the rigid formation of the soldiers against the individuality of the protesters. As a historic photograph, the work holds a central place in the collecting field of political imagery, representing a culturally and iconographically significant document of the late twentieth century.

🧾 Technical Sheet
Type: Original photograph, Type I (press photograph)
Photographer: Paul Conklin
Location: Washington, D.C., Pentagon
Date: 1967
Material: Photographic paper
Process: Silver gelatin (black and white)
Subject: Anti-war demonstrators and U.S. Army troops during the March on the Pentagon (Vietnam War protests)
Certifications: PSA/DNA Type I (encapsulated example)
Dimensions: approx. 18 × 25 cm
Marks / inscriptions: typed editorial caption on verso; “Photograph by Paul Conklin – PIX” stamp; archival annotations; PSA/DNA label

🔍 Condition Report
Example in very good overall condition, preserved within a sealed PSA/DNA holder. The photographic surface is not directly accessible but appears well maintained. Presence of editorial caption and agency stamps on the verso. Condition consistent with a period press photograph, with structural stability ensured by encapsulation.