Will Donald Trump's mug shot become a defining image of the 21st century?

MARKET WATCH

Media and marketing experts say the image could be used as a rallying call for both pro-Trump and anti-Trump camps.

The world has seen many memorable photos of Donald Trump, from those of him taking the oath as U.S. president to those of him taking a swing on the golf course.

But none may prove as memorable as the Trump picture that’s likely to be taken on Tuesday, and possibly released soon thereafter — namely, the mug shot from his expected booking following his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury.

Indeed, media, marketing and pop-culture experts told MarketWatch that such a photo, if made available by law-enforcement authorities, may prove itself the most famous image of the 21st century — at least to date — since it shows something previously unthinkable: that a former president has been arrested.

“It could become the cultural icon of our time,” says Craig Agranoff, a Florida-based marketing executive.

Certainly, in the short term, says Peter W. Cross, a former newspaper photo director turned freelance photographer, there’s no question the image would be widely distributed. “It will be in every mainstream newspaper in the country and probably around the world,” Cross says, adding that he’d devote an entire front page to it if he was still in the business of making such decisions.

It goes beyond that. The photo could be seen on T-shirts, posters, coffee mugs and just about every form of merchandise you can imagine, experts say. Agranoff says it would also likely inspire Halloween costumes.