Since the invention of photography in the early 19th century, war photographers have risked their lives, venturing into war zones, in an attempt to document the reality of war with a camera. Throughout history, particularly during the Second World War, many images were heavily censored and the use of cameras were banned in certain circumstances. Strict rules posed challenges for both the censors and photographers, and the resulting images are intriguing, to say the least.
There are now 11 million photographs in the Imperial War Museum’s archive, many with intriguing stories behind them. But how has the role of war photographer changed throughout history? What were the rules and how did photographers get around them?
Plan your visit to IWM's Blavatnik Art, Film and Photography Galleries: https://www.iwm.org.uk/events/blavatnik-art-film-and-photography-galleries
Love films about art? This video reveals new details in 'Gassed' by John Singer Sargent: https://youtu.be/gqZjqi1RVdE?si=gmnKbJvfVLJpneAk
Find out more about War Photographers at IWM: https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/war-photographers-iwm-photography-collection
Explore and license the film clips used in this video from IWM Film:
https://film.iwmcollections.org.uk/collections/_AmLDaLmo
Attributions:
This film includes photographs courtesy of the following organisations:
IWM Collections & IWM Commissioned Photographers
Norfolk Museums Service
Australian official photographers
The National Library of Wales
Magnum Agency
UK Army Film & Photographic Unit
UK RAF Film & Photographic Unit
Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Engineers
German official photographers
US official photographers
Life Magazine
Library of Congress
Australian Imperial Force, official photographers
And the film also includes photographic works created by the following individuals (where their identity is known):
Paul Seawright
Roger Fenton
Olive Edis
Cecil Beaton
Ernest Brooks
Donald McCullin
Bill Brandt
Matthew Brady
Herbert William Lawson Preston
Heinrich Hoffmann
Officer F G Goodchild
Sgt Norman Midgley
Horace Nicholls
James Jarche
Harry Ewin
Mrs Albert Broom
Hoffman, George Spencer
Jack de Nijs for Anefo
Captain Herbert F Baldwin
Sgt Ron Hudson
Pat Aylwood
Pilot Officer Vasey
Martin Omaha
Flug 4 Rbz.A Reihenbildzug Abteilung
Non photographic artworks featured:
IWM commissioned Watercolour painting by Geoffrey Stephen Allfree.
Sketches by George Spencer Hoffman
Sketch book by Raymond Monbiot.
Sketch book by Ronald William Fordham Searle.
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