TAKEBACKTHEFLAG
Perhaps the most famous painting of the flag -- one that we all remember with affection -- is that of 'Washington Crossing the Delaware' by Emanuel Gottleib Leutze, 1851, oil on canvas, Metropolitan Muesum of Art, NY.
ArtLex
has this to say about it:
'This painting depicts General George Washington's
attack on the Hessians at Trenton on December 25, 1776, during America's
revolution against England. A print published in 1853 gave the painting
the status of a national monument, in spite of numerous errors in
historical detail (the flag, for example, as depicted here was not
introduced until six months after the event). Nevertheless, the painting
captured and has held the affection of succeeding generations of
Americans, for the drama of the episode, despite the histrionics, has
great patriotic appeal.'
View it online at:
http://www.metmuseum.org/explore/gw/el_gw.htm
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Iwo
Jima
ArtLex cites Mitchell Landsberg writing for AP:
"The battle for Iwo Jima was the costliest
battle in Marine Corps history. Its toll of 6,821 Americans dead, 5,931 of
them Marines, accounted for nearly one-third of all Marine Corps losses in
all of World War II. Rosenthal's picture has been called the greatest
photograph of all time. It may well be the most widely reproduced."
The photo appeared on 3.5 million posters, was used on a postage stamp and on
the cover of countless magazines and newspapers. It served as the model
for the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va.
Joe Rosenthal (American, 1911-), Soldiers Hoist the Stars and Stripes at Iwo Jima, February 23, 1945, photograph.
You remember learning how to fold the flag. It was that first year at 4-H camp, and it was an honor, a great honor, to be chosen for the reveille detail. The Flag could never touch the ground; you had to fold it just so, and then in triangles. Would you do it right? Would you fluff the job? No, it all went fine. Whew!
And then came Girls' State, another honor, and a Crawford County Lincoln Day dinner and you drew the lot to escort Rep John Ashbrook, and then ... Vietnam, and Kenny Willaker died. And so did a lot of others.
And then the Flag got smaller and smaller till Pat Robertson said it was his, and you said, 'Well, okay, it's yours, asshole'. And you left. The country.
But you still feel uncomfortable when you see it on the seat of someone's pants.
Text: Karen Lee Photo: Courtesy http://www.flipsideshow.com/images/
Jiminy Cricket, Pinoccio, and the Flag. Could anything make more sense? And you were the first on your block to have a Jiminy Flag pin. Cool.
Photo: http://www.flipsideshow.com/images/
No denying, it was an exciting moment. Mom took a Polaroid of the TV screen. And the professionals grabbed the color shot from the transmission, all the way from the Moon! Hey, wait a minute! That flag is waving! Well, never mind. It's still a great shot.
Photo: http://www.flipsideshow.com/images/
Copyright 2005, HELADA