Raynors HCA 2015-05
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 5/21/2015
Excellent photographic reproduction of the “Flag Raising on Iwo Jima” by James Rosenthal, 15”x10” signed by “Hershel W. Williams”, “Jack H. Lucas” and “George E. Wahlen.” the last three surviving Medal of Honor recipients of Iwo Jima. Fine condition. The photograph was extremely popular, being reprinted in thousands of publications. Later, it became the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, and came to be regarded in the United States as one of the most significant and recognizable images of the war, and possibly the most reproduced photograph of all time. Three Marines depicted in the photograph, Harlon Block, Franklin Sousley, and Michael Strank, were killed in action over the next few days. The three surviving flag-raisers were Marines Rene Gagnon and Ira Hayes, and sailor John Bradley, who became celebrities after their identifications in the photograph. The image was later used by Marine Felix de Weldon to sculpt the 1954 Marine Corps War Memorial, located adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery just outside Washington, D.C. The original mold is located on the Marine Military Academy grounds, a private college preparatory academy located in Harlingen, Texas.
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