Image Wars

From September 1940, the Luftwaffe attacked UK cities in what became known as the Blitz. By the end of 1941, 41,987 civilians had been killed. At the height of the bombing of London, Associated Newspapers photographer Herbert Mason was on a City rooftop. He took at least three photographs of the sky...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:History today 2016-01, Vol.66 (1), p.6
Main Author: Allbeson, Tom
Format: Magazinearticle
Language:English
Subjects:
European history
Mason, Herbert
Military history
Social history
War
World War II
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:From September 1940, the Luftwaffe attacked UK cities in what became known as the Blitz. By the end of 1941, 41,987 civilians had been killed. At the height of the bombing of London, Associated Newspapers photographer Herbert Mason was on a City rooftop. He took at least three photographs of the skyline alive with flames and smoke. One of these was a photograph of St Paul's, used ever since as visual shorthand for, not only the Blitz, but Britain's role in the conflict. It was first published on Dec 31, 1940 on the front page of the Daily Mail. Here, Alibeson discusses how this great photograph of the World War II offers many interpretations of the war's image.
ISSN:0018-2753