Two Keith Dotson photographs appear on TV in Spiriva's elephant commercial

Two photographs by Keith Dotson can be seen on the back wall in a new TV advertisement for COPD drug Spiriva, which features an elephant

The manufacturers of COPD treatment Spiriva have begun airing a high-profle television commercial which features an elephant apparently sitting on a man's chest, to illustrate the effects of COPD on a person's ability to breathe. Visible on the back wall are two framed black and white photographs by Keith Dotson.

Seen in the commercial are "The Ice Tester," which shows a stone bridge arching over an ice skating pond (seen on the left), and "Symmatree," and landscape photograph centered on the beautifully widespread branches of a tree.

The Ice Tester, a black and white photograph by Keith Dotson, seen in the 2011 Spiriva elephant TV commercials.

Symmatree (IMG_0900) -- A black and white landscape photograph featuring a tree with outspread branches by Keith Dotson, as seen in the Spiriva elephant commercial.

The original commercial was met with protests from animal welfare groups over the use of the elephant, but those seem to have faded away over time. I don’t know the actor’s name, but the spot was created by FCB Draft of New York. 

Many thanks to Wallspace LA for brokering the licensing arrangement.

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