Categories: World War I

A World War I Battlefield

Battle of Zonnebeke by Frank Hurley. Image source.

This photography was taken during the 1918 Battle of Zonnebeke, Belgium. It shows the infantry in their trenches, while planes fly overhead through the smoke of exploding shells. But this image actually isn’t quite what it appears to be. The photographer, Frank Hurley (most famous for his photography on the early Antarctic expeditions), created this image with an early form of “photoshopping.”

Early photographers did not believe that it was dishonest to alter photographs, and Hurley and others were even willing to stage events after the fact to get the photo they were looking for. This picture was probably created by merging a photo of the infantry with others of planes and explosions, to create the impressive final image.

Joshua Horn

Share
Published by
Joshua Horn

Recent Posts

An Update on My William Bradford Biography

Since I announced several years ago that I was writing a new biography of William…

3 days ago

Harry Wisbey: God’s Word in WW1 Trenches

The Suffolk Regiment in World War I Harry Wisbey kissed his wife and squeezed his…

4 days ago

On Bradford’s Trail: Leiden

Bradford lived in Leiden during a truly formative period of his life, and we spent…

5 days ago

First Signs of the Transformation of Cannibals into Christians

Aniwa Today. Photo by David Stanley under CC-BY 2.0 The story of John G. Paton’s…

3 weeks ago

John Chambers: Alaska Missionary Bush Pilot

Photo by NASA/Maria-José Viñas The small aircraft buzzed along between two vast expanses of whiteness.…

4 weeks ago

Semper Reformanda Taught by the Pilgrim Pastor

Delftshaven, from which the Pilgrims departed Many Reformed churches today hold dearly to the principle…

4 months ago