Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Canada's Steve McQueen

Working on a special magazine over the past few months, I've had a chance to delve into the images at Library and Archives Canada more and more. I'm amazed at the depth of the collection that is available online at the moment. Searching is fairly easy, and you can narrow your search by selecting only those images which are available online.

The photos contain much of the history of Canada, but I wanted to share this picture. Anyone who has every had the Steve McQueen great escape poster on their wall will recognize it right away. I think this is the best World War Two photo of a Canadian soldier I have ever seen. Let me know what you think or if about other images from the collection that you think are pretty awesome.


Personnel of No.2 Provost Company, Canadian Provost Corps (C.P.C.), talking with French civilians, Fleury-sur-Orne, France, 20 July 1944.

6 comments:

M. Diane Rogers said...

Not saying it's not a good photograph - but why do you think it's 'the best' ? And, since that was an official photograph - taken by an army photographer - why do you think it was taken? Interested. For instance, what does it mean that those French civilians appear to be all women?
The LAC description gives the names of the men, doesn't it - Lance-Corporal Chess Groves, Corporal Art Geddes and Lance-Corporal Aimé Cyr. And this should be the credit, I believe: Credit: Lieut. George A. Cooper / Canada. Dept. of National Defence / Library and Archives Canada / PA-169337.

Joel Ralph said...

Steve McQueen - really do we need any more reason that that..

Ok actually it's a really good question and thanks for adding the photo credit. Just as a photo, I thought it was composed really well - the soldiers, the bikes, the liberated french women, the bombed out buildings.

But you are right, the inclusion of the French women is about liberation, the masculinity of the soldier, and the spoils of war.

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Canadian college where I'm studying to get my college degree.

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