Tom Maday, co-author and photographer of In the Arena: A History of American Presidential Hopefuls, details the process behind capturing New York's iconic Horace Greeley statue for Trope's Behind the Shot series.

Horace Greeley Monument, City Hall Park | New York, NY

 

Detail of Horace Greeley Monument

 

As was the case with a lot of the monuments, this was a singular monument. There are several monuments to Horace Greeley, but that was the primary one in the perfect location in New York. And, as with many of the [monument] locations, it had its obstacles. There was a fairly recent addition of a very simple wrought iron fence surrounding it, which seemed to me like it ruined the shot, so I had to hunt around for angles that worked better. I also remember [the same issue] with the Stephen Douglas Memorial [see below] - there were just so many modern obstacles in the way in terms of background high rises. But in that case we really embraced it and showed the monument in the context of the city with the drone shot because the angles from the ground were just impossible to capture.

In the Arena: A History of American Presidential Hopefuls is available now. The book features profiles of 34 American leaders who captured their party’s nomination for the presidency, but never reached the Oval Office. Author Peter Shea chronicles the rise, early careers, campaigns, and later achievements of historical giants like Aaron Burr and Henry Clay, up through modern candidates Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton. Photos by Tom Maday of monuments and other memorials accompany each subject, along with campaign memorabilia, illustrating the legacy many of these candidates left behind after relinquishing their dreams of serving as President of the United States. A foreword by 1988 candidate Michael Dukakis gives readers more personal insight into what it’s like to run for one of the most powerful positions in the world – and come up short.