Just Look and You'll Be Sucked In

I marvel that there was ever a time when photography was not considered true art. I knew a guy who worked at the VMFA in the 70s and he told me what a huge shift it had been when they started showing photography exhibits. Personally, I'm a sucker for photography, as much for its artistic merit as for its ability to capture a moment in time.

The new exhibit at the Virginia Historical Society, "Memories of World War II" was curated by the Associated Press. Today's gallery tour of it was the perfect opportunity to admire some iconic photographs and learn the back story on others. Because WWII was the first war to truly exploit the power of photography as well as have the technology to transmit the images quickly, it provided a wealth of images, some familiar and many not.

It also was a powerful reminder of the use of propaganda, a term not necessarily as negative as is often perceived. Information dissemination comes in many guises. A photograph of a group of German school children in gas masks from 1939 was en eerie foreshadowing of the toll the war would take on the civilian population.

A photograph of a very young and handsome Jimmy Stewart being fingerprinted as part of his induction could have been used in a movie poster about wartime commitment. It's almost impossible to imagine a bankable Hollywood star today enlisting in the military, but then it's unlikely this country will ever see the wholesale commitment to a war effort like that of WWII.

Photographs of a somber Churchill amongst the ruins of the House of Commons or Queen Elizabeth purposefully making her way through the rubble of Buckingham Palace were undoubtedly effective images in encouraging the US to snap out of its isolationist mentality. Mother country and all that sort of thing, after all.

One of the most striking images was "Leipzig Mayor and Family Suicide," showing the mayor, his wife and daughter after their triple suicide. He was sprawled face down on his desk, the wife in a nearby chair and the daughter on a couch, head thrown back and her legs still crossed demurely at the ankles. It was riveting in its look at a scene few would ever imagine, much less witness.

Not all the photographs were quite so serious, though. One of my favorites showed a group of men being processed at an induction center. Clad in only their underwear, socks and shoes, it was an interesting glimpse into the boxers vs. briefs debate circa the 1940s. Of note, too, was how in shape they all were in their skimpy attire; not a beer gut in sight.

Another enjoyable piece showed the comedian/violinist Jack Benny being held aloft on the shoulders of soldiers as he played the violin. The grins on the faces of the crowd of 40,000 GIs was positively heartwarming and the biggest was probably Benny's. The value of the USO seen in one simple picture.

Rather than continuing to rave about these incredible photographs, I suggest you get thee to the Historical Society and see them up close and personal. And in case you didn't know, they don't even charge admission.

It's a history lesson of the most riveting kind. And if nothing else, you'll leave convinced that photography is indeed high art. Careful, though; you could end up a photography sucker like me.