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Famous Flag Images

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Raising the US Flag on Iwo Jima

The allies stages some wonderful propaganda photos, such as the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima. Chances are (like the Iwo Jima photo) that the original flag raising wasn't photographed, simply because it was too dangerous, and a "staged" flag-raising for the cameras was then performed later.
James Dignan

In high school a friend of mine told me that his father raised the flag on Iwo Jima. I thought he was pulling my leg but went along with the gag. Which guy in the statue is he? I asked. No, he replied the statue was the second raising. Dad put up the first. I continued to think he was just spinning a yarn until a few years later during the 25th anniversary of the raising the local TV stations interviewed a "local man who raised the flag on Iwo Jima" It was my friends father! OK, I thought, he wasn't pulling my leg after all.

Here's the scoop. The first flag raised was just a small flag one of the Marines was carrying (probably about 5 feet in length). This act was photographed (which is how Mr. Lindberg, my friend's father, is able to verify his claim). Later the Marines sent the famous group up to raise a larger flag. So yes, it was the second raising, but not for the express purpose of taking the picture.
Nathan Bliss, 01 August 1996

First ascent of Everest

New Zealand's most famous flag photo is probably of the planting of the flags of (from memory) China, India, Nepal, and Britain's flags on top of Mt. Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.
James Dignan, 02 August 1996

Edmund Hillary (in a striking contrast to many subsequent climbers) did not choose to place himself and his country's flag on the top of the world in the photograph. The flags, held by Sherpa Tenzing Norgay, were (top to bottom) the United Nations, UK, Nepal, India.
Per Kolmodin, 05 October 1999

Flags in Paintings from the French Revolution

One painting from the French revolution pictures Marianne (?) leading the revolutionaries and holding the French tricolour.
Zeljko Heimer

Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People with "Marianne" as a personification of the French Republic came somewhat later IIRC - in any case being a republican symbol she wouldn't have been appropriate as the 1830 revolution the painting commemorates replaced the Bourbon dynasty with the Orleans dynasty but kept the monarchy. Good painting though - Delacroix really knew his stuff.

An image of La Liberté guidant le peuplecan be found at the WebMuseum (widely mirrored).

Talking about French revolutions and flags. I've just finished reading a book about the Paris Commune of 1871. The Communards used the plain red flag, the French tricolour being associated with the provisional government at Versailles which suppressed the Commune. Apparently stri