Gangsters
Michael O'Malley, Associate Professor of History and Art History, George Mason University
It seems reasonable to imagine Esposito as someone who started poor, and rough, but who worked carefully to polish his image--he had himself photographed doing staged examples of charitable works, or with his family. It seems like he had a good sense of public relations. It also seems reasonable to conclude that he was a popular figure in Chicago, or at least well respected. Turnout for his funeral was huge, judging from the photos. Was it because of the charity? It also seems as if the Chicago Daily News participated in this depiction of Esposito--it sent someone to document his good deeds and his family life. The newspaper seems, from this evidence, to have been sympathetic to Esposito, even to have helped him make himself look good.
Finally, I looked up "Diamond Joe Esposito" on the web, using Google. I learned that he was a well known mobster and organizer of supposedly crooked unions who could "get out the vote." He is regarded on the web as a colorful figure, worthy of having stories about his exploits repeated.
For your web journal, pick a single gangster or associated figure (lawyers, girlfriends, journalists, police, etc.) and try to figure out as much as you can about him or her from the photographs and the captions. How was the person depicted? Sympathetically? With hostility? Were the images candid or posed? Were they flattering, or unflattering? Then, after you have found as much as you can, do a search of the web for that person. Is the treatment of that person different now than it was then?
Finally, consider these questions. How have Americans depicted gangsters, and why do you think the depictions have been the way they are? What role were gangsters playing in popular imagination?