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AP photos of presidential campaigns go on view in Virginia

, by Lauren Easton

An exhibition of AP photos showing presidential campaigns over the past 100 years, including Calvin Coolidge clad in cowboy attire and John F. Kennedy covered in confetti as his car crawls through Los Angeles, has opened in Virginia at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts.

A man observes AP presidential campaign photos at the "Citizens and Leaders" exhibit at the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts in Farmville, Virginia, Sept. 9, 2016. (Carson Reeher/Farmville Herald)

A reception last Friday for “Citizens and Leaders: A Century of Iconic Presidential Campaign Photography by The Associated Press” was attended by more than 200 people, who got a first look at the dozens of images. The selection of photos is designed to reveal the human dimension of how Americans elect their president.

In introductory remarks, Dorothy Abernathy, AP’s local media director in Virginia, said: "AP is proud of its long, distinguished record in photojournalism, including 31 Pulitzer Prizes for photography. And we’re pleased to be invited by Longwood University and the Longwood Center for the Visual Arts to display some of our terrific work."

Click the image below to launch a slideshow of a few images in the exhibit.

The exhibit, announced in August, coincides with the Vice Presidential Debate between Republican Gov. Mike Pence of Indiana and Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia on Oct. 4 at Longwood University, around the corner from the gallery.

The photos will remain on display through Oct. 16.

“Citizens and Leaders” is free and open to the public.