6 Famous Historical Images That Have Been Shamelessly Edited To Fool Us
Real vs altered images when people in power manipulated masses.
Our history has been well preserved after the invention of cameras. It changed how we store our history; before the camera’s creation, most of the record was written, and only some went on to be painted.
However, these paintings were influenced mainly by the painter, and what we saw depended on which side the painter was on.
After the advancements in cameras, taking a picture was one of the most convenient ways to preserve a small part of history.
However, people with sinister minds started working on altering images either for their cause or to create misconceptions that forever shaped history.
Below are some of these historical pictures that were altered and fiddled with either to change or build a narrative. Sad.
1. Abraham Lincoln’s Head On John Calhoun’s Body — 1860
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We all know the statue of Abraham Lincoln; he is perhaps one of the most popular presidents of The United States Of America.
The picture you see above is from 1860, a portrait of Abraham Lincoln, an amalgamation of Lincoln’s head and body of John Calhoun, a Southern politician.
This composite was created because Abraham Lincoln was assassinated before any presidential worthy of him could be taken.
The face in the picture is taken from a portrait taken by his favorite photographer, Mathew Brady. The beginning was superimposed on an image of John C Calhoun, who was a pro-slavery politician from the south.
2. General Francis P. Blair Added To Photo Of General Sherman, 1865
Mathew Brady took this famous photograph, and in this picture, you can see General William T. Sherman posing with his Generals from the Military Division of Mississippi.
General Francis P. Blair (far right) was edited later to this photograph as he was not present while this specific photograph was being taken.
The image of General Sherman was taken from the second photograph, which was taken during the same period.
3. Canadian Prime Minister Lyon MacKenzie Removed King George VI , 1939
In the original image, you can see King George VI and Queen Elizabeth — the Queen Mother — with the Canadian Prime Minister Lyon MacKenzie King on a terrace of Banff Spring Hotel.
However, the photograph was later altered to be used during the election campaign as a poster for the Prime Minister. Yeah, people again got manipulated.
The theory behind this play was simple: Lyon MacKenzie alone with Mother Queen would showed him in a more powerful place.
4. Wrist-Watch Removed From World War II Flag Raising Photograph 1945
The censorship of Russian media was high during the Second World War, and the picture above is one of its prime examples.
Ogoniok, an editor in chief of a Russian Magazine, edited the image in which soldiers were hosting Soviet Union’s flag on the top of the German Reichstag building During the Second World War.
Reason? Well, if you look closely enough, you will find the cause.
The soldier trying to make his way to the top has a watch on both hands, suggesting that the looting may have occurred long before the picture was taken.
5. Benito Mussolini Removed Horse Handler From The Photo, 1942
Benito Mussolini was an Italian politician and a leader who turned out to be a fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 till 1945.
Mussolini intentionally got the horse handler removed from the original photo. Why? To make himself appear much more heroic and legendary in the iconic picture. Simply Epic. Why we have to show the world whom we are not? Why are we afraid to show if we need help?
6. Bo Gu Senior Member Of the Chinese Communist Party Removed By Mao Zedong, 1936
Qin Bangxian, commonly known as Bo Gu, was one of the prominent men of Mao Zedong. He was the person who was generally responsible for the whole CCP, and he was one of the most reliable supreme commander of that time, Mao Zedong.
Things went south for Bo Gu after some miscommunication on military defense at the Zunyi Conference.
Bo Gu was criticized for making a crucial political mistake; thus, he was replaced by Zhang Wentian in 1935.
The same miscommunication is believed to be the reason for Bo Gu’s departure from the picture taken with the Chinese supreme commander Mao Zedong.
Final Words
Throughout history, we see many images that have been edited and altered to have the desired results.
This is usually done by people responsible for running countries. But, on the other hand, we all have insisted a friend delete a particular picture in which we don’t look much presentable.
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