The Global Visual Memory: A Study of the Recognition and Interpretation of Iconic and Historical Photographs

Photographs of historical events can function as visual icons and as agents of cultural memory if they are widely circulated and recognized. Since the 1930s, such photographs have circulated across the world, which creates the possibility that photographs of historical events exist that are recognized by audiences in countries across the world. In this study, I define such photographs – if they exist – as being part of a global visual memory: images that are recognized by people worldwide. In academic literature, it is often assumed that such iconic photographs with a worldwide reach exist. Very little research, however, has been devoted to establish facts about their recognition and interpretation. In this study, I have tried to find evidence of the worldwide recognition of 25 photographs that feature prominently in academic debates on iconic and historical photographs. I have included these photographs in an online survey, that was distributed by a survey sampling company to a controlled group of close to three thousand respondents, representative of their countries’ population with regards to gender, age, and education level, in twelve countries: Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Great Britain, India, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Turkey and the United States. Respondents were asked which photographs they recognized, and were asked additional questions about their interpretation and assessment of six selected photographs. The survey results indicate that there are indeed photographs of historical events that are recognized by audiences worldwide. A majority of survey respondents recognized four photographs: Carmen Taylor’s photograph of a hijacked airplane flying into the World Trade Center (2001), Neil Armstrong photograph of Buzz Aldrin on the moon (1969), Alberto Korda’s portrait of Che Guevara (1960), and Joe Rosenthal’s photograph of US marines raising a flag on Iwo Jima (1945). Nick Ut’s ‘Napalm Girl’ photograph (1972) and Jeff Widener’s ‘Tank Man’ photograph (1989) are recognized by close to fifty percent of respondents. By proving the worldwide recognition of these photographs, I have also proven the existence of a global visual memory that has photographs of events in history as one of its component parts. Other findings of this study include the conclusion that images that feature prominently in academic debates on iconic photographs are not always recognized widely among general, international audiences; that the interpretation of iconic and historical photographs varies strongly among different people and is less conclusive and less singular than is often assumed in academic articles; and that not only the exact interpretation but also the way people ‘read’ photographs is more varied than academic literature on iconic and historical photographs suggests. I identify five different ways in which respondents worldwide ‘read’ the photographs shown to them. This survey also underlines that online sampling can enhance our understanding of iconic and historical photographs and their relation to historical memory