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Most Famous/iconic photographs in history

206 replies

HangingBasketCase · 15/11/2014 14:08

Does anyone else enjoy photogtaphy? I've been looking at some of the most iconic photographs of all time, and I have a few favourites. I'll share three of them with you now.

Firstly lunch a top a skyscraper. Taken in New York during the building of the Rockerfeller Centre. I can't get my head around how they were able to sit on a metal beam, so high up without anything to secure them! If you ever visit the Rockerfeller centre you can recreate this photo, it's become that famous!

Secondly St Paul's Cathedral taken early in the morning following a devastating air raid on the city of London. All of the buildings around the cathedral were destroyed, yet almost miraculously St Pauls survived. How inspirational this image must have been to people at the time, seeing the dome of the Cathedral rising from the smoke like a Phoenix from the flames.

Finally "The Kiss", taken on VJ Day 1945, in Time Square. I believe the identities of the couple are unknown, but they weren't actually a couple. They were random strangers, he just grabbed hold of her and kissed her in happiness because the war was over. Wonder what we'd make of that now?

Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
OP posts:
Thread gallery
57
fairnotfair · 17/11/2014 21:14

Not as searing as some of the photos mentioned upthread, but still poignant

Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
CoconutAmericano · 17/11/2014 21:07

ladymariner that cctv picture haunts me too. If i had the power to turn back time i would go back and lead James back to his mum. It kills me.

PacificDogwood · 17/11/2014 20:50

There are so many images showing the insanity of war: Result of incendiary bombs on Dresden

ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 17/11/2014 20:50

Their jackets were genuine Edwardian...bought from jumbles and barrows...crazy to imagine how much attention and shock they must have attracted.

ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 17/11/2014 20:46

These female Teddy "Boys" have always intrigued me. One of the first subcultures where girls could and did participate.

Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
bigTillyMint · 17/11/2014 20:46

serenaserene, that photo of those little toddlers all being evacuatedSad

Moln · 17/11/2014 20:40

Oh dear HildaOgden, how very sad

BumpAndGrind · 17/11/2014 20:35

Not sure what this post will add to the thread but today while thinking of this thread I asked my best friend 'what is the first thing that comes into your mind when I say most famous photograph of all time?'

his reply was 'the one of the Monk setting fire to himself'

I have never heard of it and haven't had chance to look it up yet but thought I would add it in.

frankie80 · 17/11/2014 20:27

Silent, that's the picture that came to my mind too. I've never forgotten that image.

SilentAllTheseYears · 17/11/2014 19:53

vegancow I'd not heard of it before but I've just read Jodi Picoult's latest and there is a reference to it in there :(

HangingBasketCase · 17/11/2014 19:52

Seeing as it partly inspired a popular thread on here recently, I'm surprised Abbey Road hasn't been featured? Surely the most famous album cover of all time?

Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
OP posts:
serenaserene · 17/11/2014 19:49

Wartime childhood

Evacuees

Carrots on sticks

End of sweet rationing

RigglinJigglin · 17/11/2014 19:26

The picture of Fr Mychal Judges body being carried from the twin towers site is one that has stuck with me.

katiegee · 17/11/2014 19:10

ladymariner - I was too young to remember when it happened, and I'm thankful to have had parents who tried their best to shelter me and my siblings from much of what happened here... I came across the story and the photograph a number of years ago and it has never left me. Apparently, Fr Alec said in an interview that a lady came over and put her coat over the soldier saying 'he's somebody's son'.

SilentAllTheseYears · 17/11/2014 18:41

I wouldn't say that they were my favourites but:

the person falling from the world trade center
the student in Tiananmen square

and one that made me cry, a newborn baby girl's body lying in a Chinese gutter, about 2000/2001. It was on the front page of one of the broadsheet newspapers.

HoobleDooble · 17/11/2014 18:22

Let's try attaching the photo this time!

Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
HoobleDooble · 17/11/2014 18:21

I love this photo taken during the Blitz, reminds me of my gran telling me how they just had to 'get on with it'. A cup of tea, the British answer to all problems, including your house being bombed!

AHotDenseState · 17/11/2014 17:52

headfairy that's a great photo of Nixon - never seen that one before. as you say, completely sums up politicians attitude to "the people".

HildaOgden · 17/11/2014 17:47

ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2002/04/afghan-girl/mccurry-photography

Moln that link shows the updated picture of Afghan Girl,17 years after the first picture was taken.She's had a hard life Sad

MadeMan · 17/11/2014 17:09

I have always been fascinated with this photo.

Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
Liltzero · 17/11/2014 16:44

The photo that really struck me at the time was the class photo of the children and their teacher in the Dunblane massacre in 1996. All so young and innocent and then tragically so many of them were killed. Desperately sad.

ArthurShappey · 17/11/2014 15:54

My favourite famous photograph is this one from the 1927 Solvay conference.

Langmuir, Planck, Curie, Lorentz, Einstein, Debye, Bragg, Dirac, Compton, de Broglie, Born, Bohr, Schrodinger, Pauli, Heisenberg and many more all in one conference picture. 19 Nobel prize winners.

Most Famous/iconic photographs in history
andsmileitschristmas · 17/11/2014 15:41

I havnt got a pic to add but I've found some of these very moving and welled up a few times (it's not even pmt time - I'm getting worse)

MrsStevenPatrickMorrissey · 17/11/2014 15:38

A 4-month-old baby girl in a pink bear suit is miraculously rescued from the rubble by soldiers after four days missing following the Japanese tsunami.

BalloonSlayer · 17/11/2014 15:33

blatant public disrespect for his wife and wondered why his daughters allowed themselves to be treated exactly the same way.

Wasn't he supposed to be charming and charismatic etc and maybe they thought that was just how charming and charismatic men behaved. In other words, Jackie married a man "just like Daddy" - even down to the name. Looking at those pictures - by gum Jackie looked like her Dad, didn't she?

I always use Marge Simpson's maiden name being Bouvier as an example to explain irony to my DCs.