I fielded four complaints today — I suspect Sunday editor Ron Wade and photo editors heard others — about the photo on Sunday’s front page that showed a headless Joe Biden.

The photo accompanied a large “container” on A1 that directed readers to an extensive package in the NewsWatch section about presidential politics. (Containers are Page One items that aren’t stories but are aimed at sending readers to substantial stories or packages elsewhere in the paper.)

The Page One photo, provided by Getty images and taken in Iowa this past summer, was intended to serve as a generic campaigning photo. To accent that the package wasn’t about a particular candidate but about the overall race, the photo was “cropped” to direct readers’ eyes to the voters. This wasn’t a story about Joe Biden, it was a story about votes.

So, off went Joe Biden’s head. (The original photo had his face in it.) And readers’ eyes were directed to the backs of those watching the headless, now generic candidate.

One editor here protested before publication, saying the result was jarring. But several editors countered that the crop achieved the photo editor’s desired effect.

Not so, said several readers.

“Whatever were they thinking showing us a row of backsides and cutting off the head of the candidate? I think somebody goofed.”

“What a terrible picture to place on the front page of a Sunday newspaper. You cut off the head of the person standing. It doesn’t matter who he is or what party he is in, it still looks awful. I don’t even like Sen. Joe Biden. But I am embarassed to think that visitors to our city would see this as the front page of the Post-Dispatch.”

Another caller objected to the crop, saying the photo showed us “five backsides of fat people.”

Clearly, they didn’t come away thinking of the role of voters. Your thoughts?