The Hole in Adlai's Shoe

Photographer William Gallagher snapped this photo during an appearance on Labor Day 1952.

A close-up of the hole in Stevenson's shoe. 

Adlai Stevenson was born into a wealthy and politically powerful family. A product of elite boarding schools, Princeton University, and Northwestern Law School, it was difficult for Stevenson to present himself as a "man of the people." His difficulty was magnified by his opponent in 1952, the wildly popular hero of World War II, Dwight D. Eisenhower. Stevenson was easily criticized by Republicans as out of touch with ordinary Americans. 

This iconic photograph by William G. Gallagher, taken in 1952, unexpectedly changed that narrative. First published in the popular LIFE Magazine, which had well over 1 million subscribers, the candid discovery that the Midwestern Aristocrat had holes in his shoes became a national obsession.  Rather than being embarrassed by the hole in his well-worn shoes, Stevenson and his campaign made it a symbol of Stevenson's hard work and frugality. The photo earned the photographer a Pulitzer Prize.