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A rare signed print of photographer Joe Rosenthal’s iconic World War II photograph ‘Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima’ will be auctioned on October 4 at Heritage Auction’s Photographers Auction. The print features the signatures of three of the surviving U.S. Marines featured in the image, as well as Rosenthal’s signature.
The photograph was captured in 1945; it depicts six U.S. Marines raising a flag on Mt. Suribachi on Iwo Jima. Three Marines — Ira Hayes, John Bradley, and Rene Gagnon — signed this 23.5 x 18.7cm (9.25 x 7.37in) print alongside Rosenthal, who passed away in 2006. It’s worth noting that despite John Bradley signing this print, it was confirmed in 2016 that Bradley was misidentified in the image and it was instead Harold Schultz in the photograph. The back of the print contains a few messages and notes.
The print up for auction was signed by the three Marines when they posed for Felix de Weldon, the man commissioned to construct a statue of the iconic moment for the Marine Corps War Memorial. According to Heritage Auction, de Weldon later met Rosenthal in 2000, which is when he, too, signed the print.
Though a few copies of the photograph with the Marines’ signatures have surfaced, this is potentially the only one that also contains Rosenthal’s signature, making it exceptionally rare. The print itself is described as a loose yellowing sheet with handling creases. The item is estimated to sell at auction for between $ 15,000 and $ 25,000 USD. Interested buyers are able to submit bids on the Heritage Auction website here.
Update (September 27, 2019): Corrected information to clarify that despite John Bradley’s signature being on this particular print, it was revealed in 2016 that it was Harold Schultz in the image, not Bradley.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
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