An Awesome Patriotic Picture - Human Statue Of Liberty in 1918

During the WW I years, Arthur S. Mole and John D. Thomas made some incredible human pictures by using 18K (thousands) sailors or soldiers in uniform to create images. See Image Below:

This image matches one in the U.S. National Archives credited to photographers Arthur S. Mole and John D. Thomas, captioned as follows: "18,000 Officers and Men at Camp Dodge, Des Moines, Iowa. Colonel William Newman, Commanding. Colonel Rush S. Wells, Directing." The picture was taken in July 1918.

"Human Statue of Liberty" was one of a series of group photographs taken by Mole and Thomas during and immediately after World War I at U.S. military training camps. Each took up to a week to compose and shoot using an 11" x 14" view camera perched atop an 80-foot tower. According to photography historian Louis Kaplan, these so-called "living sculptures" served as "rallying points to support American involvement in the war and to ward off isolationist tendencies."

FACTS TO THE PHOTO:

Base to Shoulder: 150 feet

Right Arm: 340 feet

Widest part of arm holding torch: 12 1/2 feet

Right thumb: 35 feet

Thickest part of body: 29 feet

Left hand length: 30 feet

Face: 60 feet

Nose: 21 feet

Longest spike of head piece: 70 feet

Torch and flame combined: 980 feet

Number of men in flame of torch: 12,000

Number of men in torch: 2,800

Number of men in right arm: 1,200

Number of men in body, head and balance of figure only: 2,000

Total men: 18,000

Note: You can see more fascinating, patriotic images shot by photographers Mole & Thomas HERE

Sources and further reading:

Human Statue of Liberty

U.S. National Archives & Records Administration

'Human Sculptures' Boosted Patriotism, Aided WWI Effort

San Antonio Express-News, 10 November 2007

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