Arthur S. Mole (born 1889 in England – died 1983 in the United States) was an English commercial artist who worked as a photographer in Zion, Illinois, north of Chicago. He became famous for a series of “living photographs” made during World War I. He traveled to various Army, Marine and Navy camps to execute his massive compositions in which tens of thousands of soldiers, reservists and other members of the military were arranged to form massive compositions.Executing photographs using such large numbers, and relying on lines of perspective stretching out more than a hundred meters, required a week of preparation and then hours to actually position the formations.
Thousands of soldiers would form gigantic patriotic symbols such as Statue of Liberty, president Woodrow Wilson, American Eagle or Liberty Bell which were photographed from above. Although if viewed from the ground or from directly above, these masses of men would appear meaningless, when seen from the top of an 80-foot viewing tower, they clearly appeared to be various patriotic shapes. The key was to photograph the people from the one place where the lines of perspective would resolve themselves into intelligible images. His partner in this endeavor was John D. Thomas.
He is considered a pioneer in the field of performed group photography. Executing photographs using such large numbers, and relying on lines of perspective stretching out more than a hundred meters, required a week of preparation and then hours to actually position the formations.
Here are some of his famous work that became world’s iconic images:
References:
Amazing US morale photographs united for exhibition
Human Statue of Liberty
Arthur Mole and John Thomas: A Picture Worth A Thousand Men
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