‘The Famous Iwo Flag-Raising’: Iwo Jima Revisited

Abstract

Although Joe Rosenthal’s 1945 Associated Press photograph of US soldiers raising an American flag at Mount Suribachi has been the subject of countless books and articles, none have discussed in depth the circumstances surrounding its publication in Life magazine. First published in American newspapers in February 1945, Rosenthal’s photograph of Iwo Jima was not published in Life until a month later, due in part to the editors’ scepticism surrounding its authenticity. Drawing upon new archival research, this essay recounts the initial response of Life’s editors to the image, and reveals why they delayed publication. Both building on and in dialogue with previous scholarship surrounding the production, reproduction, and reception of this historic and controversial photograph, this article provides a powerful case study of how quickly a single image can be transformed from a documentary war photograph into a patriotic representation of American triumph in war, and ultimately into a universal, international symbol of victory.