Iwo Jima from the series History

David Levinthal, Iwo Jima from the series History, 2013, inkjet print, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.12, © 2013, David Levinthal
David Levinthal, Iwo Jima from the series History, 2013, inkjet print, 17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr., 2017.41.12, © 2013, David Levinthal

Artwork Details

Title
Iwo Jima from the series History
Date
2013
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
17 × 22 in. (43.2 × 55.9 cm)
Copyright
© 2013, David Levinthal
Credit Line
Gift of Donald Standford Rosenfeld, Jr.
Mediums Description
inkjet print
Classifications
Subjects
  • Figure group — male
  • History — United States — World War II
  • Occupation — military — soldier
  • Dress — uniform — military uniform
  • Object — other — flag
Object Number
2017.41.12

Artwork Description

Levinthal's photograph restages an iconic moment captured by Associated Press photographer Joe Rosenthal toward the end of World War II. The original Pulitzer Prize--winning image shows six American Marines from behind raising a flag on Mount Suribachi after taking control of the
Japanese territory during the battle of Iwo Jima. In Levinthal's version, six toy soldiers face the viewer and raise a tattered American flag. By reversing the vantage point, Levinthal reminds us that history is constantly changing as new perspectives inform what we think we know about the past.

Works by this artist (217 items)

Herman A. Webster, Le Moulin au Bord de l'Eau, 1926, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Moune G.H. Webster, 1973.124.116
Le Moulin au Bord de l’Eau
Date1926
etching
Not on view
Herman A. Webster, Street Scene, etching, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Olin Dows, 1979.136.239
Street Scene
etching
Not on view
Herman A. Webster, Fin d'Une Belle Journee d'Automne, 1938, pencil and watercolor on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Moune G.H. Webster, 1973.124.89
Fin d’Une Belle Journee d’Automne
Date1938
pencil and watercolor on paper
Not on view
Herman A. Webster, Bird's-Eye View of Venice, 1933, pen and ink and pencil on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Moune G.H. Webster, 1973.124.55
Bird’s-Eye View of Venice
Date1933
pen and ink and pencil on paper
Not on view

Exhibitions

Media - 2017.32.10 - SAAM-2017.32.10_1 - 133751
American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs 
June 7, 2019October 14, 2019
Populated with toy cowboys and cavalry, Barbie dolls and baseball players, David Levinthal’s photographs reference iconic images and events that shaped postwar American society.