Two Iconic Boston Photos Reshaped Race Relations and Building Safety

Pulitzer-winning images from the 1970s led to policy changes that still impact Back Bay today

Apr. 17, 2026 at 5:34am

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An extremely blurred, out-of-focus photograph featuring a crowd of people in silhouette, with a single American flag waving in the foreground, conveying a sense of hazy, dreamlike investigation into Boston's past.Fifty years later, the lasting impact of two iconic Boston photographs continues to shape the city's approach to civil rights, public safety, and the power of visual storytelling.Boston Today

A pair of iconic Boston photographs from the 1970s - 'The Soiling of Old Glory' and 'Fire Escape Collapse' - are being revisited 50 years later for their lasting impact on race relations and building safety regulations in the city. The first image captured a violent clash during a civil rights protest, while the second documented a deadly apartment fire that prompted tougher fire escape inspection rules. Both photos sparked major policy changes that continue to shape the Back Bay neighborhood today.

Why it matters

These two powerful images from Boston's history highlight how photojournalism can drive social change. The 'Soiling of Old Glory' photo exposed racial tensions during a pivotal civil rights moment, while the 'Fire Escape Collapse' image led to new safety standards that have protected Back Bay residents for decades. Revisiting the legacy of these iconic photos provides important context about the city's past and how it continues to influence the present.

The details

In 1976, Boston photojournalist Stanley Forman captured the now-iconic 'Soiling of Old Glory' image, which showed a white man attacking a Black man with an American flag during a protest against school desegregation. The shocking photo helped galvanize the civil rights movement and led to policy changes around crowd control and police response. Just a few years earlier in 1973, Forman had won a Pulitzer Prize for his 'Fire Escape Collapse' photo, which documented a deadly apartment fire on Marlborough Street in the Back Bay. That image prompted new fire safety regulations that are still in place today, requiring more rigorous inspections of building fire escapes.

  • In 1976, Stanley Forman captured the 'Soiling of Old Glory' photo during a protest against school desegregation in Boston.
  • In 1973, Forman won a Pulitzer Prize for his 'Fire Escape Collapse' photo from a deadly Back Bay apartment fire.

The players

Stanley Forman

A Boston photojournalist who captured two iconic images that reshaped the city's history - 'The Soiling of Old Glory' in 1976 and 'Fire Escape Collapse' in 1973, for which he won a Pulitzer Prize.

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What they’re saying

“The Soiling of Old Glory' is a powerful image that exposed the racial tensions of the time and helped drive important policy changes around crowd control and police response.”

— Stanley Forman, Photojournalist

What’s next

Forman's iconic photos continue to be studied and discussed by historians, activists, and urban planners as examples of how impactful photojournalism can be in shaping the public discourse and driving real-world change.

The takeaway

These two seminal Boston photographs from the 1970s demonstrate the lasting influence of powerful visual storytelling. By capturing pivotal moments of racial conflict and public safety failures, Forman's work sparked policy reforms that still impact the Back Bay neighborhood today, underscoring the enduring legacy of impactful photojournalism.