Practically since the invention of photography more than a century and a half ago, photographers have been hurrying off to the battlefield to capture images of war and its awful aftermath (due to the camera’s early limitations, aftermath was the principal subject initially, but scenes from the Crimean War and the American Civil War nevertheless hit initial viewers like a thunderbolt). “WAR/PHOTOGRAPHY: Images of Armed Conflict and Its Aftermath,” a traveling exhibition organized by Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts and currently showing at the Brooklyn Museum (there is also a published catalog brilliantly showcases the work of artists under fire and under the imperative to honestly portray life and death in war zones over time and around the globe. Here, a photo by Dmitri Baltermants (Russian, born Poland, 1912–1990). Attack—Eastern Front WWII, 1941 (printed 1960). Gelatin silver print, 8⅞ x11¾ in. (22.6 x 29.8 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of Michael Poulos in honor of Mary Kay Poulos at âÂÂOne Great Night in November, 1997.â é Russian Photo Association, Razumberg Emil Anasovich
Darien, Wisconsin, October 22, 2007 (printed 2009). Chromogenic print, ed. # 1/10, 9 x 12 in. (22.9 x 30.5 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of David and Cindy Bishop Donnelly, John Gaston, Mary and George Hawkins, and Mary and Jim Henderson in memory of Beth Block. © Peter van Agtmael/Magnum Photos
The body of an American paratrooper killed in action in the jungle near the Cambodian border is raised up to an evacuation helicopter, Vietnam, 1966 (printed 2004). Gelatin silver print, 13⅜ x 8⅝ in. (34 x 22.4 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; museum purchase. © Associated Press
Women aircraft workers finishing transparent bomber noses for fighter and reconnaissance planes at Douglas Aircraft Co. Plant in Long Beach, California, 1942. Gelatin silver print, 7⅝ x 9⅝ in. (19.4 x 24.3 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of Will Michels in honor of his sister, Genevieve Namerow
A Royal Navy sailor on board HMS Alcantara uses a portable sewing machine to repair a signal flag during a voyage to Sierra Leone, March 1942 (printed 2012). Gelatin silver print, 8 x 8 in. (20.3 x 20.3 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation. © The Imperial War Museums
Partisan Girl, 1942. Gelatin silver print, 11 x 7⅝ in. (27.9 x 19.4 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of Marion Mundy. © Arkady Shaikhet Estate, Moscow
Muchachos Await Counter Attack by the National Guard, Matagalpa, Nicaragua, 1978 (printed 2006). Chromogenic print, 12⅝ x 19⅜ in. (32.5 x 49.1 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; museum purchase with funds provided by Photo Forum 2006. © Susan Meiselas/Magnum Photos
Young Fatah Members at the Funeral Procession of a Palestinian Fighter, from the series The Scars of David, 2002. Inkjet print, ed. # 4/10, 19¾ x 26⅛ in. (50.2 x 66.4 cm).
Courtesy of the artist. © Jan Grarup/Laif
Dying Infant Found by American Soldiers in Saipan, June 1944. Gelatin silver print, 9¼ x 7⅛ in. (23.5 x 18.2 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of Will Michels in honor of Anne Wilkes Tucker. © Estate of W. Eugene Smith/Black Star
Battalion Commander, no date. Gelatin silver print, 8½ x 11½ in. (21.6 x 29.2 cm).
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of William Broyles © ITAR-TASS
Military kiosk counter, Shaare Avraham, Israel, from the series Serial No. 3817131, 2004. Chromogenic print, 30 x 40 in. (76.2 x 101.6 cm).
Courtesy of ClampArt, New York City. © Rachel Papo
Washington, October 21, 1967 (printed later). Gelatin silver print, 9½ x 14⅛in. (24.1 x 35.9 cm).
he Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; gift of Joan Morgenstern. © Marc Riboud/Magnum Photos
