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

Squire Boone: My God My Life Hath Much Befriended

It is not easy to be the little brother of a famous man. Many worthy…

2 days ago

Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence: Real or Fake?

250 years ago the representatives of the citizens of Mecklenburg County, NC declared independence from…

2 weeks ago

Alaska History Cruise Tour

We'd like to announce that we are organizing a Washington and Alaska tour from September 10-23, 2025. It…

3 weeks ago

Frances Havergal: Ever, Only, All for Thee

Take my life, and let it beConsecrated, Lord, to thee.Take my moments, and my days;Let…

4 weeks ago

On Bradford’s Trail: Delftshaven

Bradford and the Pilgrims left the Netherlands from Delftshaven. Today it a quaint street with…

1 month ago

On Bradford’s Trail: Home in Leiden

One interesting place that we visited during our trip to Leiden was the American Pilgrim…

1 month ago