“Somewhere in Carolina”

An early example of persuasive photography manipulation long before Photoshop!

This souvenir photograph of army maneuvers purports to be Carolina. In fact, the panorama is an entirely fictional composite photograph of civilian life and military action. A sharecropper family stands outside their simple home while army units encamp across the street (likely from a photograph from an earlier war, based on their dress and equipment). Dirigibles float overhead while bombers buzz low to create a fascinating and busy compilation of wartime activity. Careful examination of the photograph shows touch up work along the seams between each frame.

The piece is a part of series of panoramic photographs taken of army maneuvers and other scenes at Camp Lee, Fort Belvoir and Fort Eustis, Virginia. There are a number available in the Special Collections Department of the University of Virginia Library.