Object Details
photographer
Mydans, Carl
Description
When World War II broke out in 1939, LIFE magazine sent Carl Mydans and his wife Shelley overseas to document the unfolding events as a photographer/reporter team. The two began by covering the siege in London. They then moved on to Finland where Mydans was first exposed to combat. After a short stay in Italy, they traveled to France where they witnessed its fall to Nazi Germany.
Mydans' words describe the scene: "Each war begins where the last one left off." French soldiers in May 1940 could be mistaken for the poilus or infantrymen of 1914 as they straggle past a shelled village near Verdun after the German breakthrough at Sedan.
Location
Currently not on view
Date made
1940-05
1940
ID Number
2005.0228.059
accession number
2005.0228
catalog number
2005.0228.059
Object Name
Photograph
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 8 in x 10 in; 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm
place made
France: Grand Est, Verdun
Related Publication
Mydans, Carl. Carl Mydans, Photojournalist
See more items in
Work and Industry: Photographic History
Military
Photography
Carl Mydans
Data Source
National Museum of American History
Link to Original Record
Record ID
nmah_1303313