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Shouldn't the image in this article's infobox be dated, as is the case with almost every other biography on Wikipedia? 147.147.205.222 (talk) 23:18, 8 August 2023 (UTC)[reply]
Not done: It is used correctly, e.g., Theresa May became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2016.Hyphenation Expert (talk) 13:22, 3 October 2023 (UTC)[reply]
There's been some back and forth over the lead image again, so I figured it couldn't hurt to open up a new discussion thread. This was last discussed a couple years ago (here) but no clear consensus was achieved.
For reference, here are the two images that have recently been used:
Image 1
Image 2
I'm not crazy about either of them, frankly, and have no strong opinion as to which is better. But I see that others do have opinions on the matter, so it would be good to try to establish a consensus if possible. Generalrelative (talk) 01:14, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
In my opinion, 1 looks more neutral, 2 looks like a piece of propaganda. ალექსანდროს (talk) 06:07, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Image 1 has an annoying background, which ruins the image; that’s the simple reason I reverted it. Articles on high-profile individuals are never allowed to have images with bad backgrounds. Trakking (talk) 08:18, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
There is nothing propagandistic about the second image, which looks like any old black-and-white photo. It would have been ”propaganda” if he was wearing a crown, standing under a banner reading «our noble Caesar». If anything, the first image is more propagandistic since it portrays him as some kind of high-ranking military commander. In reality, both Mussolini and Hitler were only corporals—one of the lowest military ranks. Their primary talent was oratorical demagoguery. Trakking (talk) 10:35, 22 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
I vote for Image 1. The second image has his profile partly shrouded by shadow.Emiya1980 (talk) 22:56, 27 April 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The second is a classic photo of Mussolini as he wanted to be seen (grim look, jaw out: this pose has been the subject of countless satirical drawings abroad), while the first shows him as he actually was. Since Wikipedia is supposed to be neutral, I say number one (although there are better photos around). Alex2006 (talk) 12:47, 24 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The current image is fine; B is alright as well. C and D have bad backgrounds. E is taken from an awkward angle. Trakking (talk) 02:57, 27 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Prefer, D since it's in color, is sensibly illustrative and not contrived or weird like E. After that, probably A, C, B, E in decreasing order. PS: A background that doesn't happen to be completely blank is not "bad". There is no image policy or guidelines basis for such a mis-assessment. Thousands and thousands of our bio articles have photos that are "natural" shots with real-life background elements in them instead of being artificially posed ones with blank or "haloing" background screens. Not only is this not faulty, an argument can be made that the natural ones are preferable. — SMcCandlish☏¢ 😼 04:03, 27 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
NOTA Are these really the best free images of Mussolini that exist?? To be frank all of these are terrible. A and D have tiny resolutions, B and C are quite grainy, and E is a side-profile. With D, I'd also like to know if it is colorized/re-colorized; a reverse image search shows many different variations, which is concerning. Curbon7 (talk) 04:22, 27 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
The Library of Congress has a large collection of negatives of Mussolini here. I'm sure other such repositories have similar. Curbon7 (talk) 06:51, 27 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Upload some to Wikimedia Commons then.Emiya1980 (talk) 20:51, 27 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
You're the RfC starter, you should have been better prepared for such a response when all the presented options are so lacking. Curbon7 (talk) 20:58, 27 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
If D is a recolor (which it almost certainly is, the original seems to have been printed on Agfacolor by Henri Roger-Viollet in 1940 (possible original)), the question becomes if it is a sufficiently neutral recolor, which is a frequent issue with colorizations of Axis figures of this era. Curbon7 (talk) 21:35, 27 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Note I have found a better quality and higher resolution version of B (c:File:Benito Mussolini 1930 (alt).jpg). I think it is quite an improvement and am leaning towards it. Curbon7 (talk) 05:42, 28 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
A since the alternatives are not a real improvement to the status quo. Nemov (talk) 01:55, 28 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
A, per reasons stated above and no good reason to change. Traumnovelle (talk) 03:19, 28 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Asince the alternatives are not a real improvement, all are flawed in one way or another.Pincrete (talk) 03:41, 28 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Agree with @PincretePincrete, maybe the color version would be a slight upgrade, but why not just go with what Italian wiki uses. MaximusEditor (talk) 17:42, 28 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
Thank you for the clarifying comment, I will cast a vote towards F. I think consistency across the board has its advantages. MaximusEditor (talk) 22:19, 29 May 2024 (UTC)[reply]
C - for the key reason that, even though it was taken with Hitler in an official capacity, it is arguably among these photos the least controlled and manipulated one, i.e. the one that does not fully succeed in projecting a propaganda message. A simple visual reproduction of propaganda would contravene NPOV and none of the images manage to avoid this as they are sourced from either Fascist or Nazi official sources. Ideally a non-propagandistic photo should be found but that seems unlikely. If not C, then I would favour F (the pose corresponds to a school photo of 14-year-old Mussolini who was not a fascist yet[1]). A and D are the worst offenders, both project an image of a visionary statesman and D is from the Nazi press targeting occupied Europe[2]. The "jawsplaying" and the effect of emerging from a dark background in A is standard Mussolini visual self-promotion[3]. VampaVampa (talk) 23:36, 1 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]
B2 As the highest quality and resolution version available. Curbon7 (talk) 23:52, 1 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]
References
^A. Antola Swan, Photographing Mussolini, London 2020, pp. 219–224.
^See Antola Swan 2020, p. 212–213, for an interpretation of A, and otherwise the updated photo descriptions for their origin and for the bombastic propaganda caption accompanying D.
B or D: Both seems to be offical portraits, with one adding colour a part of history we only see in black and white. Cossde (talk) 15:28, 3 June 2024 (UTC)[reply]