Historical Photo Archive - “Raising The Flag” LE 18x21.5 Fine Art Giclee on Paper #50/375

Limited Edition # 50 / 375

  • Lot number 6202660
  • Total views 3
  • Total bids 12
  • Winning bid $47.25
  • Buyer's premium $8.03
  • Total $55.28
  • DAILY NO RESERVE

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima is a photograph taken by Joe Rosenthal (1911–2006) on February 23, 1945, which depicts five United States Marines and a Navy corpsman raising a U.S. flag atop Mount Suribachi, during the Battle of Iwo Jima, during World War II.

This Limited Edition Fine Art Giclee measures 18" x 21.5" is printed on acid-free museum quality paper with a hand-torn deckled edge. It is hand-titled and hand-numbered. Each piece of art features an embossed seal of quality from Historical Photo Archive collection. All though this image can be used by others, the Historical Photo Archive collection will not produce more than 375 pieces.

The photograph was first published in Sunday newspapers on February 25, 1945. It was extremely popular and was reprinted in thousands of publications. Later, it became the only photograph to win the Pulitzer Prize for Photography in the same year as its publication, and came to be regarded in the United States as one of the most significant and recognizable images of the war.

Three Marines in the photograph, Sergeant Michael Strank, Corporal Harlon Block (misidentified as Sergeant Hank Hansen until January 1947), and Private First Class Franklin Sousley were killed in action over the next few days. The other three surviving flag-raisers in the photograph were Corporals (then Private First Class) Rene Gagnon, Ira Hayes, and Harold Schultz (misidentified as PhM2c. John Bradley until June 2016). Both men originally misidentified as flag raisers had helped raise a smaller flag about 90 minutes earlier, and were both still on the mountaintop and witnessed – but were not part of – the specific moment of raising the larger flag that was captured in the Pulitzer Prize–winning photo. All men were under the command of Brigadier General Harry B. Liversedge.

The image was later used by Felix de Weldon to sculpt the Marine Corps War Memorial, which was dedicated in 1954 to all Marines who died for their country and is located in Arlington Ridge Park, near the Ord-Weitzel Gate to Arlington National Cemetery and the Netherlands Carillon.

Historical Photo Archive-The archival collection contains historically and socially significant imagery that documents the human experience throughout the centuries up to the present day. The collection features sport and music icons, notable luminary’s as well as landmark moments.

Due to the uniqueness of each item, please refer to the photos provided in this auction. We offer high resolution images of each item rather than a written description of condition.

This item is being shipped from the Pristine Auction warehouse.