AP Definitive Source | AP photos of presidential campaigns go on view in Virginia

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.

Slideshow Images

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President Calvin Coolidge, clad in cowboy attire, poses with movie and still photographers while celebrating the Fourth of July in Rapid City, South Dakota, July 4, 1927. (AP Photo)

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President Harry S. Truman, in St. Louis, holds up an edition of the Chicago Daily Tribune that mistakenly reported "Dewey Defeats Truman” in November 1948. The Democratic incumbent’s historic upset forced the paper to recall most of its press run. Truman told the crowd at Union Station, “This is one for the books!” (AP Photo/Byron Rollins)

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Sen. John F. Kennedy, D-Mass., is deluged with confetti and paper streamers as his car moves slowly up Broadway in Los Angeles, Nov. 1, 1960. The Democratic presidential nominee was on a final campaign swing for California's 32 electoral votes. (AP Photo/Dick Strobel)

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President Ronald Reagan works the crowd of well wishers shortly after he landed at El Toro Marine Corps Air Station, kicking off his 1984 general election campaign in Irvine, California, Sept. 2, 1984. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

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President George Bush reacts as he holds up a crying baby amid a crowd of supporters as he arrives at a campaign stop in Dalton, Georgia, Aug. 3, 1992. (AP Photo/Greg Gibson)

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Presumptive Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama is covered in the hands of supporters after a speech on the last night of the primary season in St. Paul, Minnesota, June 3, 2008. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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.

TOPICS: Photography, Photojournalism, Presidential election, Politics, Longwood Center for the Visual Arts, Virginia, Photo exhibit, Vice Presidential Debate

AP photos of presidential campaigns go on view in Virginia

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