# Who is this a picture of? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 31, 2013, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793 "2013-05-31T16:22:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/22 "2013-06-01T14:25:08Z")
A friend suggested we contact the Smithsonian (American History museum) for some help. They do this sort of thing all the time. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/23 "2013-06-01T16:35:14Z")
> [@Isilder](#): > > Very similar to presidential candidate H Humphries, and the same style of suit. > [File:Hubert Humphrey vice presidential portrait.jpg - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H_Humphrey.jpg) Only if you’re blind. ---
**Author:** ![KermitTheFrig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/47e85d/32.png) [@KermitTheFrig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KermitTheFrig)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/24 "2013-06-01T17:34:51Z")
I think that any “big name” is going to have a much better photo from a high caliber photographer. I’m going to say local guy. State rep. Mayor. High school principal. Police chief. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/25 "2013-06-02T03:31:17Z")
Definitely, emphatically not Churchill. Pretty sure it’s not any of the others mentioned so far either. Alf Landon, maybe? Nah. Probably not: [http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1524&bih=734&q=alf+landon&oq=alf+landon&gs\_l=img.3..0l2j0i10i24j0i24l7.1032.2602.0.2867.10.10.0.0.0.0.198.954.5j5.10.0...0.0.0..1ac.1.15.img.oBANVHEzYI8](http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1524&bih=734&q=alf+landon&oq=alf+landon&gs_l=img.3..0l2j0i10i24j0i24l7.1032.2602.0.2867.10.10.0.0.0.0.198.954.5j5.10.0...0.0.0..1ac.1.15.img.oBANVHEzYI8) ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2013, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/26 "2013-06-04T21:21:07Z")
> [@Antigen](#): > > Where is your friend located geographically? If it’s a local politician, that will help a ton. Does he have an idea how old it is? There’s nothing written on the back? +1 We need closure ---
**Author:** ![snowmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e99b99/32.png) [@snowmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowmaster)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/27 "2013-06-05T03:15:12Z")
WAG: Dana Elcar of The Sting and MacGuyver fame. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/28 "2013-06-05T03:31:46Z")
Uncle Pete? ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/29 "2013-06-05T03:38:27Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [My friend thinks the pin looks like this without the words.](http://m.gifts.com/search/product/team-usa-2012-road-to-london-shield-17x26-banner?prodID=531767) The Team USA badge makes a certain amount of sense, because there was one that [looked very similar](http://www.collect1.com/images/1956olympicslot1b.jpg) for the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne. He was some kind of Olympic Official, maybe? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/30 "2013-06-05T05:28:23Z")
The pin/ribbon is just the [escutcheon of the United States](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_heraldry), a very common patriotic motif. It’s what the eagle is supporting on the [Great Seal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Seal_of_the_United_States). Absent further information, I doubt the unknown gentleman has any Olympic connection. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/31 "2013-06-05T05:46:37Z")
But that particular shield shape, and the arrangement of blue and stripes, is very specific and [not the most commonly used](http://bit.ly/1805EbP). _Team USA_ is where [that particular design](http://bit.ly/1805Yr7) crops up most frequently. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/32 "2013-06-05T09:01:11Z")
It’s Hill Valley, CA mayor Red Thomas! ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 11:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/33 "2013-06-05T11:35:05Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [My friend thinks the pin looks like this without the words.](http://m.gifts.com/search/product/team-usa-2012-road-to-london-shield-17x26-banner?prodID=531767) Looks more like the [Salvation Army shield](http://www.salvationarmystore.com/media/catalog/product/cache/11/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/c/0/c0017-sa.jpg)to me. Have him send you a closeup of the pin. Surely the odds are that it’s an ordinary person. But if it is a Salvation Army shield, you might see if they have archives for images of persons associated with them. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/34 "2013-06-05T14:41:15Z")
There are many different shield shapes. It’s hard to see the shape from such a small picture, but I think it’s [this shape](http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1526&bih=709&tbm=isch&tbnid=eGo-TsJTRVLAJM:&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FBI_Police_shield.jpg&docid=u7_9PpsxLNXwZM&imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/FBI_Police_shield.jpg&w=1504&h=1600&ei=v0qvUaW0OKiw0AXOooDICw&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:0,s:0,i:80&iact=rc&dur=236&page=1&tbnh=180&tbnw=208&start=0&ndsp=25&tx=120&ty=61), which is slightly different from the salvation army or team USA shapes. We need a close up. Also his tie. Possibly a tie of a particular organisation. Maybe. Can’t hurt to get a close up. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/35 "2013-06-05T22:20:13Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > It’s Hill Valley, CA mayor Red Thomas! I don’t think Hill Valley can be in California if its local drive-in is in Utah. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2013, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793/36 "2013-06-05T23:05:38Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > Originally Posted by Isilder > Very similar to presidential candidate H Humphries, and the same style of suit. > [File:Hubert Humphrey vice presidential portrait.jpg - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:H_Humphrey.jpg) > Except for the eyes, brows, ears, chin and mouth… and the spelling [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-this-a-picture-of/659793.md?page=1)