Monday+Media

Week 15: [|Kouros]

Week 1:

One of the best-loved photographs appearing in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was shot by Thomas Franklin: it shows three firefighters struggling to hoist the American flag in the wreckage of the World Trade Center as dust settles around them. In 2002, the image was used on a fund-raising “semipostal” stamp that sold for forty-five cents, with proceeds going to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Part of the picture’s appeal was its resemblance to another beloved American image: Joe Rosenthal’s photo of U.S. Marines raising the flag on Iwo Jima in 1945. That image was made into a stamp as well, which became the best-selling U.S. stamp for many years. Take a look at the two images and consider how they’re composed--what attracts your attention, how your eyes move over the images, what immediate impression they create. Also notice other features of the stamps--tinting, text placement, font, and wording. What argument do these stamps make about America?