Who does not trust history? After all, history and historical images have reduced us to many events and stories of peoples that were passed down through generations until they became a given for us.
However, it seems that you will not trust history after reading this article! Even old historical photos have had their share of modifications and forgeries, even though Photoshop did not appear until the modern millennium!
in this article, we review a number of the most prominent popular images that reflected famous historical events, which, after scrutiny from historians and industry owners, turned out to be “forged”!
The most famous historical photos that were subjected to modification and forgery!
1-Picture of raising the flag on the island of Iwo Jima
The image of raising the flag over the island of Iwo Jima after its capture is considered one of the most inspiring images in the history of the US military. The picture explicitly reveals the hoisting and waving of the huge American flag to reflect the army's initial victory.
But the actual picture turned out to be different, as the flag wasn't that big, it was much smaller and less suggestive of heroic posture.
Upon the capture of the island in 1945, after a series of fierce battles in the Indian Ocean, a small flag was raised, and less spectacular photographs were taken.
But when photographer Joe Rosenthal heard that officials had ordered the portrait of the small flag to be replaced with a larger and more honorable one, he seized the opportunity and did so by taking the photo from above.
2-Lunch on top of a skyscraper under construction
Rather than being a candid shot of workers enjoying their lunch break on the afternoon of September 1, 1932, the photo is a series of other shots of publicity goals to promote the building itself, 30 Rockefeller Plaza.
Other shots included workers kicking a soccer ball or taking a nap. But the whole thing was just a publicity stunt.
3-The most famous picture of the Kent massacre, USA
The photograph of 14-year-old Mary Ann Vecchio next to the body of Jeffrey Miller, a protester shot and killed by the Kent State National Guard, is one of the most iconic images of the era.
It's easy to see why, given that few photographs perfectly capture the horror of a historical event with the same clarity as that event, even in its original form.
The seriousness of the subject makes it difficult to accept that most of the circulating versions of the image have been slightly altered to increase the impact of the event.
The original portrait of John Filo won a Pulitzer Prize, but it also included a fence post positioned directly above Vecchio's head which added a bit of a distraction to the photograph.
Therefore, many press organizations chose to modify the image by hiding the column to appear more serious and commensurate with the nature of the situation.
4-Mussolini the knight
Fascist Italy is decorated with a distinctive image of Mussolini, the fascist leader, in which he appears on his high-chinned horse and, in general, a perfect knight!
This image certainly matches the overall aesthetic of the Italian fascist dictator, but that's thanks to some modifications.
Mussolini edited the image to make it appear that he was in control of the horse, as a metaphor for Mussolini's strong rule in general, by camouflaging the hand of the person holding the horse's bridle.
5-Commissioner disappearance
Joseph Stalin is the most notorious of the politicians who used the photo-editing techniques available at the time. He made his opponents disappear in an interesting way in his pictures!
In the edited photo, Stalin is seen walking along the waterfront with Nikolai Yezhov, and Commissioner Yezhov has been cropped out completely.
6-Stalin stands alone
Joseph Stalin's habit of cutting his opponents from photographs is legendary. One of these photos appeared in several versions. The first was Stalin standing next to him three political allies, then two, then one, and in the last version of it he was standing alone!
Since Nikolai Antipov, Sergey Kirov, and Nikolai Shvernik did not like the Soviet dictator, they were removed from the photo in turn.
7-Shadow Valley
The photograph was taken by Roger Fenton during the Crimean War, and depicts a post-fighting road littered with artillery shells. However, other photos taken by Fenton earlier in the day show a completely empty road.
The authenticity of the image has since been debated, with the general conclusion being that someone moved the cannonballs on the road from the trench sometime after the fighting.
Whether the rearrangement was done for the purposes of the photograph—and whether it was performed by Fenton himself—remains a mystery that will likely never be resolved.
8-Stand with the Queen
In the original shot, King can be seen laughing alongside George and Queen Elizabeth II against the beautiful backdrop of Banff, but the version released by the Canadian government showed the prime minister was single-handedly bewitching the Queen.
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