Conceptual photography

Arthur Mole and John Thomas, at a time when photography was taking its first steps, were able to, through their perseverance and technical ability, photograph large groups that created symbolic representations of objects and people. Considering 21st century’s capabilities, such task, which requires as many as 30 000 people to pose at a time, is both complex and filled with details, forcing us to keep their magnificent achievements in perspective.

Arthur and Thomas, the so called "live photographers", were able to capture these fantastic images in the period of 1915-1920, in the middle of the world war one. Their goal was to recover the image of an American identity at the time in which the United States entered this conflict in 1917.

The great dimension of this Project still assumes greater proportions by the philanthropist characteristic of its authors, that instead of prospering with the sale of the images produced, donated all their profit to the families of the soldiers who returned from the conflict and intended to redo their lives.

Source: artnet.com/