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MRRiley · 12-12-2011, 07:48 AM

An iconic photo, widely captioned as depicting a group of Hawaiian women fighting a fire on Dec 7th 1941, after the Japanese attack, has been revealed to have been taken during a fire-fighting exercise at some indeterminate time weeks or months after the attack.

Open Channel - Pearl Harbor surprise: Photo of female firefighters wasn't from Dec. 7

While many of the captions applied to this photo may technically be "correct" in that they say it was "after the attack" they are misleading since most readers naturally infer "after the attack" to mean "on Dec 7th after the attack."

This revelation does not in any way, tarnish the contribution of American women during the war, but simply puts to bed one of the many popular myths of the war and points to the influence photography can have.

Mike

RioRico · 12-12-2011, 04:26 PM

Whatever the exact dating, it's still a great photo, with some elements of the much later Iwo Jima Flag Raising picture.

song_hm · 12-12-2011, 08:51 PM

Other great photos that are not exactly true events:

The famous Iwo Jima flag raising picture captured a 2nd "managed" event. See Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The famous Mac Arthur "I have returned" picture at Leyte was also staged with a retake. See File:MacArthur Philippine44.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

**boriscleto** · 12-12-2011, 09:36 PM

Originally posted by song_hm

Other great photos that are not exactly true events:

The famous Iwo Jima flag raising picture captured a 2nd "managed" event. See Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The famous Mac Arthur "I have returned" picture at Leyte was also staged with a retake. See File:MacArthur Philippine44.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Next you're going to tell me that the film of Hitler doing a jig when he heard of the fall of France was set up too.

Last edited by boriscleto; 12-13-2011 at 06:10 AM.

MRRiley · 12-13-2011, 04:32 AM

I have no problem with retakes or staged photos, but they must be labeled and acknowledged as such. Many of these types of photos become archetypes for certain feeling or viewpoints and the public should know the difference between showing an actual historical event and an "illustration" of a historical event.

Btw, the 2nd flag raising was not re-staged as a photo op. The 2nd flag was raised because the Secy of the Navy wanted the first as a souvenir and the on scene battalion colonel wanted it for his battalion. This colonel ordered the original flag secured and replaced by a larger one since the original was too small to be seen by anyone more than a half mile away. The mistake came when the photo of the 2nd flag was picked up by the wire services and presented as showing THE flag raising on Iwo. Joe Rosenthal, who just happened to go along, however NEVER claimed that it showed the original raising and maintained for the rest of his life that his "raising" photo was not staged or posed.

song_hm · 12-13-2011, 08:27 PM

Originally posted by boriscleto

Next you're going to tell me that the film of Hitler doing a jig when he heard of the fall of France was set up too.

No, but he did rant about PlayStation network being down.

You Tube

12-12-2011, 07:48 AM	#1
MRRiley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sterling, VA, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,275	Pearl Harbor surprise: Photo of female firefighters wasn't from Dec. 7 An iconic photo, widely captioned as depicting a group of Hawaiian women fighting a fire on Dec 7th 1941, after the Japanese attack, has been revealed to have been taken during a fire-fighting exercise at some indeterminate time weeks or months after the attack. Open Channel - Pearl Harbor surprise: Photo of female firefighters wasn't from Dec. 7 While many of the captions applied to this photo may technically be "correct" in that they say it was "after the attack" they are misleading since most readers naturally infer "after the attack" to mean "on Dec 7th after the attack." This revelation does not in any way, tarnish the contribution of American women during the war, but simply puts to bed one of the many popular myths of the war and points to the influence photography can have. Mike

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12-12-2011, 04:26 PM	#2
RioRico Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Limbo, California Posts: 11,263	Whatever the exact dating, it's still a great photo, with some elements of the much later Iwo Jima Flag Raising picture.

12-12-2011, 08:51 PM	#3
song_hm Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 797	Other great photos that are not exactly true events: The famous Iwo Jima flag raising picture captured a 2nd "managed" event. See Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The famous Mac Arthur "I have returned" picture at Leyte was also staged with a retake. See File:MacArthur Philippine44.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

12-12-2011, 09:36 PM	#4
boriscleto Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: North Syracuse, NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,477	Originally posted by song_hm Other great photos that are not exactly true events: The famous Iwo Jima flag raising picture captured a 2nd "managed" event. See Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The famous Mac Arthur "I have returned" picture at Leyte was also staged with a retake. See File:MacArthur Philippine44.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Next you're going to tell me that the film of Hitler doing a jig when he heard of the fall of France was set up too. Last edited by boriscleto; 12-13-2011 at 06:10 AM.

12-13-2011, 04:32 AM	#5
MRRiley Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sterling, VA, USA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,275 Original Poster	I have no problem with retakes or staged photos, but they must be labeled and acknowledged as such. Many of these types of photos become archetypes for certain feeling or viewpoints and the public should know the difference between showing an actual historical event and an "illustration" of a historical event. Btw, the 2nd flag raising was not re-staged as a photo op. The 2nd flag was raised because the Secy of the Navy wanted the first as a souvenir and the on scene battalion colonel wanted it for his battalion. This colonel ordered the original flag secured and replaced by a larger one since the original was too small to be seen by anyone more than a half mile away. The mistake came when the photo of the 2nd flag was picked up by the wire services and presented as showing THE flag raising on Iwo. Joe Rosenthal, who just happened to go along, however NEVER claimed that it showed the original raising and maintained for the rest of his life that his "raising" photo was not staged or posed.