© Heinrich Hoffmann, late 1920s, Hitler posing to a recording of one of his speeches
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945), leader of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party (NSDAP), strikes a pose for photographer Heinrich Hoffmann whilst listening to a recording of his own speeches. These photographs taken reveal how Adolf Hitler rehearsed his hand gestures for his public speeches. He used to ask Hoffmann to take pictures of these so he could see what he would look like to the German people, as one of Hitler’s greatest and most well-known skills was his public speaking, which he used to his advantage to emphasise his notion of a “great national revival” of Germany.
Once he saw them, he would vet the pictures and decide whether to incorporate the various animated movements in his engagements. Hitler later banned them from being published for being “beneath one’s dignity”. But the photos, which were never intended to be seen, survived the war. The vetoed photos were stored in Hoffmann’s studio until his arrest at the end of the war, whereupon they disappeared into various archives.
They were later published in his little-known memoir, “Hitler Was My Friend”, in the 1950s and have now been released in English to be seen by the general public. They capture the meticulous training Hitler undertook to perfect his famous speeches, and give a rare insight into his vanity and controlling personality. (more photos and info here: +, +, +)
© Henry Peach Robinson, 1858, Fading Away
The photograph shows a young girl on her deathbed surrounded by her family. It is an example of combination printing, which Robinson learnt from Oscar Gustaf Rejlander (1813-1875). Five different negatives were used to make one complete print.
‘Fading Away’ is probably Robinson’s most famous photograph, and it was widely exhibited at the time. The photograph depicts a girl dying of consumption, and was controversial when it was exhibited, with many believing it was not a suitable subject for photography. (+)
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© Robert Wiles, May 1, 1947, The most beautiful suicide
On May 1, 1947, Evelyn Francis McHale leapt to her death from the observation deck of the Empire State Building (“Warhol Suicide”). Photographer Robert Wiles took a photo of McHale a few minutes after her death.
The photo ran a couple of weeks later in Life magazine accompanied by the following caption:
“On May Day, just after leaving her fiancé, 23-year-old Evelyn McHale wrote a note. ‘He is much better off without me … I wouldn’t make a good wife for anybody,’ … Then she crossed it out. She went to the observation platform of the Empire State Building. Through the mist she gazed at the street, 86 floors below. Then she jumped.
In her desperate determination she leaped clear of the setbacks and hit a United Nations limousine parked at the curb. Across the street photography student Robert Wiles heard an explosive crash. Just four minutes after Evelyn McHale’s death Wiles got this picture of death’s violence and its composure.” (read more here and here)
16 years later Wiles’ photography has been appropriated by Andy Warhol for a print called ‘Suicide (Fallen Body)’:
© Andy Warhol, 1962, Suicide (Fallen Body)
JAMEY STILLINGS - EVOLUTION OF IVANPAH SOLAR
The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System, under construction in Mojave Desert in California, is making a compelling physical statement about our collective ability to shift from society based on coal, petroleum and nuclear energy to one that embraces sustainable energy production. When completed in late 2013, Ivanpah Solar will be the world’s largest concentrated solar thermal power plant. 344,000 mirror will focus the sun’s energy toward three towers creating 392 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 140,000 US homes.
Green projects such as this also raise challenging questions about land and resource use, while exposing contradictions and differing perspectives within the larger environmental movement. Long-term photographic studies of infrastructure projects, especially those relating to sustainability initiatives, contribute to an important dialogue about our relationship with planet Earth. (read more; via NPR)
PHOTOS: © Jamey Stillings, 2012, Evolution of Ivanpah Solar
EXHIBITION: GILBERT GARCIN - ANYTHING COULD HAPPEN
at Stiftung Schloss Neuhardenberg, Germany
The managing director of a factory retires, retreats to his summer house and creates enchanting miniature works of art – or even whole worlds? – inside black cardboard boxes with the aid of scissors, glue, photographic self-portraits and paper. He then takes photos of his creations, always in black and white.
This gentleman is Gilbert Garcin, born 1929 in Marseille. “However, the stories that lie behind my pictures have not been told from beginning to end”, says Gilbert Garcin. “I am merely attempting to create a space for the viewer to project their own ideas onto to allow them to invent their very own adventures”.
Funny, subtle, ironic, slightly melancholic, quite obviously always addressing existential issues, viewers find themselves in almost surreal scenarios. The atmosphere is sometimes reminiscent of Jacques Tati’s Monsieur Hulot films, and sometimes of Rene Magritte. Garcin’s images seem to reflect “…the entire spectrum of human comedy. Each of his minimalistically designed photographs is like a theatrical act on the obscure stage of life”, a critic once wrote. The selected works on display at Schloss Neuhardenberg throughout 2013 were chosen by the artist himself.
Exhibition dates:
Mar 16 - Nov 11, 2013
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© D. Bowie Archive / V&A Images, 1976, David Bowie
David Bowie in his first movie “The Man Who Fell to Earth.”
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© Anton Corbijn, 1999, Tom Waits, Santa Rosa
This photograph is part of the book “Waits/Corbijn ‘77-‘11” that finally has been published today (find more pictures and information on that book in this previous post).
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© Steve McCurry, 2008, Rajasthan, India
Pleased with his day, a Rabari herdsman leads his animals to the spot where they’ll bed for the night. He’ll sleep with them outdoors on a simple cot called a charpoy.
Steve McCurry has published a new blog post title “The Universal Language” with 20 photos of smiling people. If you feel down maybe this will cheer you up a little…
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Unknown photographer, 1976, David Bowie mugshot
David Bowie was arrested for marijuana possession along with Iggy Pop in Rochester, New York.
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