Description
Photograph of the Director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover, inscribed to Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.
Photograph by Yousuf Karsh, taken in 1944. Monochrome print, mounted on white matte background. Measures 9′ x 11.5″.
Inscribed along the bottom of the white matte: “To Dr. Norman Vincent Peale / With most sincere good wishes / J. Edgar Hoover / 7.15.48.”
Norman Vincent Peale (1898-1993) was a Protestant minister and the author of The Power of Positive Thinking (1952). His book sold over 20 million copies and was on The New York Times bestseller list for 186 consecutive weeks. Despite criticism from some psychologists and theologians for oversimplifying complex mental health issues, Peale’s ideas reached a global audience, and his philosophy influenced leaders like U.S. President Richard Nixon and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Peale was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan in 1984. Peale served as the pastor of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City for over five decades, where his messages of faith, optimism, and “positive thinking” resonated with millions.
