A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

We live in an instant gratification society, only modern technology and the internet can bring you grainy footage of the execution of Saddam Hussein on YouTube mere hours after the event has occurred. While we here at PCWEI applaud and love modern techology it IS important to remember a time (what like 10 yrs ago?) when a photograph wasn’t something digital. When a picture could capture a moment in time and be left to the interpretation of the individual viewer. In some ways the photograph is the original “pop culture event”. Afterall a picture is worth a thousand words, and stands the test of time. The latest thing on YouTube will be a faint memory to most in a few days (for some a few hours), but pictures are almost timeless.

I mean who hasn’t seen this photograph at least once in their lifetime (if not every day at school!)

So in a little bit of a flashback here I direct you to neatorama.com which posted a wonderful article to be featured in the upcoming Mental Floss Magazine. The article chronicles the “13 Photographs that Changed the World” and while it’s a pretty good list there are some interesting choices. The “Big ones” are present on the list, such as the crash of the Hindenburg, the Gettysburg Battlefield by Mathew Brady (the first battlefield photographer), the execution of a VietCong soilder a South Vietnamese General by and of course a selection by Ansel Adams. While it’s hard to argue with most of the list there are some interesting omissions in my opinion. (For the published list and photos click here)

Here are a few pictures that I’m surprised didn’t make the cut:

1.Marines raising the flag at Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima Island (Feb. 1945). Shot by AP Photographer Joe Rosenthal, this photo not only won him the Pulitzer Prize but is also probably the most famous picture from World War II.

2.Perhaps the most famous picture taken during the Vietnam War this photo taken by AP photographer Huyng Cong “Nick” Ut in June of 1972 showed the horror and agony of young Vietnamese children after accidentally being napalmed.

3. Maybe not worthy of the “Top 13″ list, but certainly an icon of the times. President Nixon’s famous “V for Victory wave” was documented many, many times to the point that the “Victory Wave” personifies the Nixon presidency about as much as his “I am not a crook” speech.

4. Though a very recent picture the raising of the American flag at Ground Zero shortly after the events of 09-11-2001 has certainly been burned into the minds of anyone who lived through that day directly or indirectly, which is probably our entire audience here at PCWEI.

5. And finally perhaps the most important picture in the history of Pop Culture. This single moment captured for eternity calls to mind the famous meetings of other greats in history. Ceasar & Cleopatra, Catherine the Great & her horse, Moses & God, and of course When Harry Met Sally all come to mind. But really does it get any better than President Richard “Tricky Dick” Nixon & Elvis “The King” Presley in 1972??? I think not……

Pop Culture at it’s finest…..

By the way if you dig Ansel Adams check out this site, or the excellent National Archives site