Soldier Thrown in Air

1917

Lewis Hine

Associated Names
Lewis Wickes Hine

Artist, American, 1874 - 1940

This black-and-white photograph shows a group of men in dark shirts with dark, wide-brimmed hats. Everyone is gathered outdoors near some pointed gray tents, and they appear to be in a loose circle, holding a tarp or cloth stretched out between them. One man appears to float in the air above the group, his body horizontal, facing the right. The men below him are all smiling widely, some appearing to laugh. In the bottom left corner, one man looks back over his shoulder at us, a white cigarette in his mouth. Most of the men appear to have light skin, although some are in shadow. The sky behind the tents and floating man is bright white.

Media Options

This object’s media is free and in the public domain. Read our full Open Access policy for images.
Not on view See artworks now on view

Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Patrons' Permanent Fund

  • Dimensions

    image: 19.2 x 24.1 cm (7 9/16 x 9 1/2 in.)
    sheet: 20.2 x 25.3 cm (7 15/16 x 9 15/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    1995.36.90

More About this Artwork

Article:  From World War I to Afghanistan: Our Servicepeople in Photographs

See how photographers have honored and documented service people across time.

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

David and Mary Robinson, Sausalito, CA; NGA purchase, 1995.

Associated Names

Exhibition History

1986

  • 19th Century Photographs from the Collection of Mary and David Robinson, Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, 1986.

1995

  • The First Century of Photography: New Acquisitions, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 1995.

2012

  • WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston; The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, 2012 - 2014, unnumbered catalogue.

Bibliography

2012

  • WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and its Aftermath. Exh. cat., The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Houston; The Annenberg Space for Photography, Los Angeles; The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington; Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn. Houston: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; New Haven: Distributed by Yale University Press, 2012.

Inscriptions

center right verso stamped in black ink: LEWIS W. HINE / INTERPRETIVE PHOTOGRAPHY / HASTINGS-ON-HUDSON, NEW YORK; by later hand, center right verso in graphite: A28; by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: 6

Wikidata ID

Q64157443

You may be interested in

Loading Results