Images of World War

The American Civil War was not the first conflict to be documented by photographs, there are several fine examples remaining of the Mexican - American War of 1846-1847 and some really stunning images of the Crimean War of 1853-1856 by the first recognized war photographer Roger Fenton.  However the men who photographed The American Civil War were the first to show scenes of war in the modern era which include corpses of soldiers laying where they fell .  There were no less than twenty-six photographers actively traveling the battlefields documenting the fratricidal conflict, and although no official count exists of just how many photographs were taken, they most assuredly number in the thousands.  A great many of these were personal portraits that the soldiers had taken in uniform so that if they were killed the family would have a remembrance, and if they survived could be boasted about in their old age.  What ever the reason The American Civil War was truly the birth of the Combat Photographer and no war or conflict that came afterward would escaped the attention of these fearless reporters.
     Of course one of the primary motivations for these men was money since the public clamored for any kind of news from the battlefront especially in photographic form, but I can't help but think that they may have been aware of  the impact they were making on history.  Already the camera had proven its ability to influence public sentiment with Brady's iconic images of the battlefield, but in 1898 it was fully utilized as a propaganda tool by the "War Hawks" and "expansionists" seeking to transform the United States into a global power.  The Spanish - American War of 1898 was brought on by a number of reasons, but it can't be denied that the mysterious explosion the Battleship Maine and her subsequent sinking in Cuba's Havana Harbor had a major effect on public sentiment.  The incident was turned into a rallying cry for war by journalists that included Joseph Pulitzer and Randolph Hearst who insisted that the ship had struck a Spanish mine and used photos of the wreck to press home their argument.  In reality to this day the cause of the explosion is not known for certain and there are a number of explanations offered that might be true or not including a boiler accident on board the ship.  Hearst and Pulitzer were masters of the so called "Spin" and before long the country was clamoring for revenge and war!
     When war was declared in 1898 a young and ambitious Theodore Roosevelt was serving as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in the McKinley administration.  Roosevelt was one of the most vocal supporters for action against Spain and didn't fail to recognized the great opportunity that the war would afford for some "bully" adventure and political support.  Roosevelt was well aware that the voters adored heroes, and as soon as war was declared he resign his post as Assistant Secretary and procured a Lieutenant Colonel's commission in the Army Cavalry where he became a member of what would latter be called the "Rough Riders."  Being the consummate politician Roosevelt always made time for having his photograph taken displaying his dashing style and leadership qualities.  To be fair though there was probably no one more qualified to lead men than Theodore Roosevelt (strangely TR as he liked to be called had no middle name), what he lacked in military knowledge he made up for in natural leadership and was loved and respected by his men.  He was gifted at organization and logistics which helped to make his men some of the best prepared soldiers in the volunteer units.  Perhaps the most iconic photo of Teddy was taken standing on the hill that he and his Rough Riders captured at the "Battle of San Juan."  There stands Teddy in the middle of his men with the american flag flying over his head, as I said previously, he was a consummate politician and master of self promotion.
     It seems that from the 16th to 20th centuries Europe just couldn't get along without having a smashing good war every thirty years or so, and in 1914 they decided to do up right.  Failing to realize that the weaponry used to make war had made such advances that it had become possible to reek devastation of apocalyptic proportions on each others armies.  The leaders of Europe embarked on what would later be called "The Great War", although I doubt if you could find very many active participants who thought there was anything great about it.  Like weapons of war photographic equipment and processes had also made great advances and the age of the small (in comparison to early tripod models) portable camera was in full swing.
     In 1900 a man named George Eastman brought out a little box camera that he called the "Brownie" and it was an immediate success with over 150,000 being sold the first year.  Coincidentally for you follow the tried and true motto of never buy a first year product you would have been proven correct.  Eastman discontinued the the first model in October of 1901 and brought out the improved "Brownie" No. 2.  Thank god the original only cost $1.00, which would be about the same as $30.00 dollars today depending on which inflation index you use.  By the start of the First World War the "Brownie" and the "Vest Pocket Expanding Camera" like the Kodak was so prolific in numbers that they could have provided an in depth look at the soldiers life on the battlefront, except that the use of cameras by ordinary soldiers was severely discouraged by the high commands of both sides.  On the surface it seems as though this was a missed opportunity for history but it is doubtful that many of the cameras could have survived the conditions of trench warfare since the soldiers who manned the trenches had a hard enough time making it from day to day themselves.  There are quite a few great examples of "Vest Pocket Images" that did manage to be recorded and document some of the details of life in the trenches.
     World War I also saw the birth of a new tool of warfare, the aerial photograph.  Prior to World War I aerial photos were only utilized on a very limited basis due to the fact that someone had to go up in a balloon with a bulky wet plate camera and hope the balloon held steady enough for him to get a good image due to the required long exposure times.  Oh yes, and there was that little matter it being impossible for the enemy to miss seeing your enormous balloon which most certainly led to his shooting at you with great enthusiasm.  However the advent of the airplane and high speed film cameras coupled with advanced lens changed all that, now you could fly at an altitude that was out of reach by those pesky infantrymen and take photos of the battlefield below, that is until an enemy fighter spotted you and made a picture of his own called "little photo plane all in pieces on the ground."  When the war started perhaps less than a hundred photos a month were taken of the battleground, but by the end of the war literally thousands of photos a day were being snapped by the two sides.  At one time there was actually a shortage of lens' for the cameras and a campaign was started to get Americans to turn in lens of all types to the government for use in aerial cameras.
     When the "Great War" ended the world was convinced that it was the war that would end all wars. A euphemistic view that would be dispelled just twenty-five short years later when once again Germany along with its allies, Japan and Italy dragged the world into a conflict that would eventually claim more than sixty million lives worldwide.  Unfortunately the camera is just as comfortable capturing the grotesque and unthinkable as it is in recording kittens playing, babies laughing, and bucolic scenery.   That being said, World War II would provide some of the most horrific glimpses into the darker side of man's cruelty to his fellow man ever seen.  The photos of the Nazi death camps are terrible in their detailed depictions of what happens when fanatics are allowed to be placated.  Perhaps the most disturbing images ever recorded are of what is known as "The Rape of Nanking" that depicted the atrocities perpetrated on Chinese civilians by the invading forces of Japan.  I won't provide any links to these photos because quite frankly they are too disturbing and a little to indicative of what is being allowed to happen today, so if you want to view them just do an image search for yourself.
     In World War II the ordinary soldier did have more flexibility as far as carrying a camera, although that is not to say that the censorship carried on by our armed forces was pretty strict about what could be sent home or even developed.  Happily this did not deter a lot of our service men and women from snapping everything the thought might be important.  Also for the first time the United States military employed full time "Combat Photographers" that were in the military and captured unbelievable action while incurring great risk to their lives.  I couldn't find the official figures for how many military photographers were killed, but considering there were fifty-four civilian war correspondents killed, I would think that the number who were actually serving in the different branches had to be in the hundreds.
     By the time the Vietnam War rolled around the use of photographs and videos was well documented as a propaganda tool.  American became deluged with news about the ongoing war in Southeast Asia and finally the politicians decided to capitulate withdrew out troops, and since I have very set opinions on the subject I will leave the subject at that.
In our final installment next time I will list the top ten most influential photos and film-videos of all time, and you are certainly welcome to disagree if you have a better suggestion.