[Theodore Roosevelt, standing up in rowboat, pushing away from shore with oar]

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Standing upright in a rowboat, leaning into an oar to push off from the shore, Theodore Roosevelt appears in a far less formal pose than in most official portraits of him. The picture dates to about 1905, roughly the start of his second term as president, when he was widely known for his love of the outdoors and his vigorous, physical style. Photographs like this one were often registered for copyright, as the notation on the record shows, and they circulated as images of a president at leisure. It is worth noticing how much balance it takes to stand in a small, unsteady boat, which gives the scene its sense of motion.

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