In a protest against censorship, photographer A.L. Schafer

In a protest against censorship, photographer A.L. Schafer

In a protest against censorship, photographer A.L. Schafer staged this iconic photograph in 1934, violating as many rules as possible in one shot. Actually he did it in 1941, but the story is even more interesting than just “he made it in protest.” He made it to satirize the Production Code that set these content rules for movies, for the express purpose of entering it in a contest—the first Still Show put on by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a tribute to good still photography in the business. The show was also meant as a promotion for the public, too. Schafer made the image and his fellow photographers loved it, but it pissed off the event’s organizers so much they pulled it from the contest, threatened to fine him $2000 (nearly $35,000 today) for violating the Code, and kept all 18 copies of the print that were submitted for the show. This image was BANNED for DECADES, apparently. Pretty badass!

Thank you for reading. Bookmarks us for more info.

All What's You Should Know Dig into history, fact, science, true crime, and beyond with All What's you should know — where you'll discover the most interesting things that you Should know Click Here For more trending stories