Interesting Old Human Formation Pictures

Outline
Message contains several old human formation photographs that depict the Statue of Liberty, the Liberty Bell, the American Eagle symbol, the US Shield and more. The images are created by thousands of US soldiers and sailors standing in formation.



Brief Analysis
The photographs are genuine and were created by Arthur Mole and John Thomas during the early years of the 20th Century. Mole and Thomas created a whole series of human formation pictures representing important religious and military related symbols.

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Last updated: January 16, 2013
First published: September 14, 2007
Article written by Brett M. Christensen
About Brett Christensen and Hoax-Slayer

Example


Detailed Analysis
These intriguing old photographs circulate via email and online. The photographs are genuine and were created by Arthur Mole and John Thomas during the early years of the 20th Century. Mole and Thomas created a whole series of human formation pictures representing important religious and military related symbols, including the Liberty Bell, complete with crack, the Statue of Liberty, the American Eagle, a "portrait" of President Wilson, the US Shield, and a number of others. These living representations of revered symbols of American patriotism were used to promote support of America's involvement in the 1st World War.

Mole called his creations "living photographs". The images took a great deal of time and effort to set up, and required the help of many thousands of individual soldiers and sailors. An article about Thomas and Mole's work on Cabinet Magazine Online notes:

Mole and Thomas would spend a week or more on preparations for each photograph. This began by tracing the desired image on a ground-glass plate mounted on Mole’s camera. Using a megaphone, body language, and a long pole with a white flag tied to the end to point to the more remote areas where the bulk of the troops had to be stationed, Mole would then position his helpers on the field as they nailed the pattern to the ground with miles of lace edging. In this way, Mole also figured out the exact number of troops required. These steps were preliminary to the many hours required to assemble and position the troops on the day of shooting. For The Human Liberty Bell, Mole and Thomas traveled to Camp Dix, New Jersey (not far from the City of Brotherly Love), to assemble 25,000 troops in the shape of this national icon.

In a time when images can be manipulated with ease using sophisticated software, one can certainly appreciate the dedication and perseverance that would have been required to create these wonderful old photographs. Works by Mole and Thomas are housed in collections at the Library of Congress, the Chicago Historical Society, and the Museum of Modern Art.



References:
The Library of Congress: Mole and Thomas
Dead Troops Salute

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