Sandanistas at the walls of the Estelí National Guard headquarters. Estelí, Nicaragua

Your Mirror: Portraits from the ICP Collection
Section: War
Susan Meiselas set out in 1978 to photograph the civil war in Nicaragua and witnessed the events leading up to the overthrow of the dictatorial Somoza regime. The Somoza
family was ousted by forces led by the Sandinista National Liberation Front. Meiselas was criticized for using color film to document the war; some found it sensationalizing. She responded: “The vibrancy and optimism of the resistance, as well as the physical feel of the place, came through better in color.” This photograph of the Sandinista Pablo “Bareta”
Arauz, taken a day before the fall of the regime, became iconic. “Molotov Man” was reproduced on murals, matchboxes, and T-shirts, evolving into a national symbol of revolution.