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Discover Mid-America — October 2004
Capturing the moment
On Sept. 1,
the Colorado History Museum opened a new exhibit called “Capture
the Moment,” a collection of Pulitzer Prize photographs from World
War II to the present. If you are planning a visit to Denver, this is
a don’t-miss opportunity.
Many of the photos will be familiar to visitors. Talk about a walk through
the not-to-distant history! Each succeeding photograph brings back memories
of feelings forgotten as the images remain capable of moving one to tears,
laughter and sometimes pain. The museum very wisely put boxes of Kleenex
at strategic places throughout the exhibit, and I admit to using one or
two as I journeyed through it.
Each photograph has been enlarged to 2 1/2' X 3’ and mounted on a
black background. A brief description accompanies each photo with the
date, identification of the photographer and the newspaper where it was
published, whenever possible. For those of us over 40, the printed script
is large enough to be easily read and it’s to the point.
A few of the more memorable pieces are worth mentioning. Is there anyone
alive today over 20 who does not recognize the men raising the flag over
Iwo Jima on Feb. 23,1945? The battle had raged on for four days and these
men still found the courage and the wherewithal to place our flag upon
those rocks. It’s an image never to be forgotten. Babe Ruth’s
retirement of #3 on June 13, 1948 was taken by Nathaniel Fein and published
by the New York Herald Tribune. The photograph of Adlai Stevenson’s
shoe with a hole in it makes me smile every time I see it. There is an
amazing picture of the sinking of the Andrea Doria taken in 1956. I was
not aware of the photo’s existence and as a small child, this was
the first tragedy announced on TV that I can remember.
There are several photographs of John Kennedy and, of course, there is
the one where Jack Ruby shoots Lee Harvey Oswald taken by Robert H. Jackson.
Jackson recalls thinking, “This guy’s in my way.”
The one photo that started my tears flowing was taken by Anthony Suau
on Memorial Day 1984 and appeared in the Denver Post. The color photo
frames a widow with her arms grabbing a tombstone. Who could possibly
think that photography lacks emotion? Yeltsin trying to dance in 1996
is worth a chuckle.
There are photos dealing with the Clinton impeachment effort, the Columbine
tragedy, and one very vivid colored photo of the World Trade Center, injured
but not yet fallen.
The Colorado History Museum is located at 1300 Broadway in Denver.
Syrma Sotiriou is the proprietor of The Treasured Scarab in Denver, and a regular contributor to Discover Mid-America. Contact her at (303) 777-6884.
> Antiquing in Colorado Archive — past columns
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