Framing Fool,
Yes, obtaining an image of the Second Flag Raising might be difficult, which is amazing in light of the popularity of this most famous photograph.
I might suggest that you stop by your local book store and see if they have a copy of
"Flags of Our Fathers".......this is an excellent book which describes in detail the individual stories about the flagraisers lives, how they came to Iwo Jima = Sulfer Island, the terrible battle for Iwo Jima, it's significance to both the Japaneese and Americans and the events around "The Photograph". It was written by James Bradley, one of the son's of John Bradley. John Bradley was one of the three surviving flagraisers, along with Ira Hayes, the Pima Indian from Arizona & Rene Gagnon from Manchester, NH.
The "infamous" photograph was indeed of the second flag raising, and according to the photographer and subsequent research it was NOT "staged" in a phoney sense of the word. The poor photographer, Joe Rosenthal who took this great image, lived through all kinds of praise after winning an AP Award, then spent the remainder of his life defending that the image was not a "fake". It's interesting to see that in this day and age of communications, that myths still pervail.
An option for you is to frame a block of four or sheet of the stamps that were issued and replicate "the photograph". Scott #929 was issued on July 11, 1945. This 3cent stamp is not that expensive.....perhaps 50cents for a mint block of four. Any good Stamp & Coin Dealer should be able to get this for you.
A sidenote: Of the three survivors from the Mount Suribachi Flag Raising, John Bradley was the only one who really had any semblance of a "normal" life. He was a funeral director from a small town just north of Appleton, Wisconsin. Attached to the Marine Corps during WW II, he was actually a Medic in the Navy. He won the Navy Cross, which his family never knew about until after his death in the 90's. He never talked about the flagraising nor allowed a copy of the photograph to be displayed in his home.
Pamela,
Coincidently, we also framed an Iwo Jima frame for a customer over this Christmas. Sarah matted a block of the four stamps mentioned above along with signatures of the three survivors.
Regards,
John
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The Frame Workshop of Appleton, Inc.
www.theframeworkshop.com
Appleton, Wisconsin
jerserwi@aol.com
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[This message has been edited by John Ranes II, CPF, GCF (edited December 30, 2000).]
