Definition: The notion that a picture is just as effective at describing the intricate details of a given situation as a story relayed from person to person or in print, perhaps more so given pictures display concrete evidence and therefore are not subject to human embellishment and/or forgetfulness.
Example: Experts recommend not sharing too much personal information on social networking sites, especially images, since future employers might be searching for you and a picture is worth a thousand words.
Origin: Entering the American lexicon at the start of the 20th century, the phrase was used in a December 1921 Printer’s Ink article authored by Fredrick J Barnhard, who advocated for more prominent use of graphics. In early print ads, with a quote Barnhard claimed was from a Japanese philosopher “One look is worth a thousand words.” A subsequent issue of Printers Ink from March 1927 published a variation of the phrase closer to the modern interpretation as we know it today “One picture is worth ten thousand words” insinuating that this piece of wisdom originated as a Chinese proverb.
Observant readers and media members noted that this version of the phrase was attributed to a Chinese philosopher rather than a Japanese philosopher as Barnhard had stated, and the quantitative value of a look had had been altered , setting off a diligent search to discover who was responsible for the phrase.
Although many various examples of the phrase pre dating Barnhardt’s usage exist, including a humorous ad for Doan’s Backache Kidney Pills featuring a man holding his lower back above the phrase “every picture tells a story”, no one is certain who was the first to utter the phrase in its current context. It is however recognized as being distinctly American, in part due to the American press adopting it as a newsroom motto when they began to realize combining the written word with pictures gave stories an emotional impact words alone could only hint at.
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