Marc Riboud - An Introduction to A - Level Media

On Wednesday September 7th, we decided to look at the photographer Marc Riboud's representations of society in his image called ‘Flower Child’.  This image was captured during the Vietnam war in Washington 1967. This was when there were many anti-Vietnam war protests by activists, hippies and students. The image is composed of a 16 year-old girl holding up a flower to rows of US armed soldiers standing within a few inches of their bayonets. She holds a flower in both her hands, directly in front of her face. The symbol of a flower in this context most likely represents the desire for peace during a time of war. Not only is she holding a flower but her shirt also has a floral pattern across it. Her hands placed together also conveys the message that she is praying and pleading for peace.

The way the people in this scene are positioned reinforce the idea of the woman’s innocence and vulnerability. We can see a wall of men all lined up in a row and holding dangerous weapons, showing great power. This is juxtaposed by the sweet, harmless young woman who kneels in front of the men.

This image looks as if it had been set up, but in fact it was taken by French photojournalist Marc Riboud, when he noticed a lonely girl, inches from the soldiers’ bayonets. She was trying to start a dialogue with them. Marc Riboud crept close, snapping away in the soft, dying light of the late afternoon with the last of his film.