TV's growing importance

Back when Washington was President, portraits of him were rare. It tooks hours of sitting in order to get a painting that represented the commander in chief. However, "he understood that the public wanted to see what manner of man served as chief executive, so he subjected himself repeatedly to more than a dozen artists,". Although image was always somewhat important, back when the Presidency was created, not many actually knew what their president looked like.

Now, however, the invention of television and photography has increased the importance of the presidential image. It's a popular opinion that the candidate who looks more "presidential" could have a better chance of winning. This article talks about the difference of presidential image and how it has eveolved through technology and art.