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
Copied 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
Artist
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
  • Occupation — military — soldier
  • History — United States — World War II
  • Figure group — male
  • Dress — uniform — military uniform
  • Object — other — flag
Object Number
2017.41.12
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/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.

Exhibitions

Media - 2017.32.10 - SAAM-2017.32.10_1 - 133751
American Myth & Memory: David Levinthal Photographs 
June 7, 2019–October 14, 2019
Smithsonian American Art Museum
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.