7 Jan 2022 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Reenactors?

[BEAR]

Not saying they are and not saying they're not, but I have noticed that reenactor photos are getting harder to distinguish from authentic WW2, Korea and Vietnam photographs. Most reenactor photos are identified as such, but some photographs are labeled as authentic historical artifacts. You have to know your history, equipment, and experience.
Reenactors perform a valuable service as Living History role playing as long as they remember that they are role playing.
I was fooled some years ago by this photo that was in a publication that depicted it as an authentic 101st soldier in Normandy.

I was almost suckered in until I noticed his boots, after several days of combat. I did some research and found the original posting of this picture. It was a Living History reenactment conducted in the UK some years ago. Great picture, but not authentic

[browningautorifle]

I was almost suckered in until I noticed his boots, after several days of combat

Yes, nice clean fresh boots. And he appears to be about 50 years of age...

[Ovidio]

I look younger than that

[Daan Kemp]

Re-enactors usually are older, wide around the middle and the uniform is too clean.

[browningautorifle]

OK...but how do you explain these pics of the same guy? Posed photos from current stock. The set includes that first photo.

[BEAR]

Some photos for comparison. Some real, some reenactments.
Sorry, Mark, didn't want to hijack......but to be fair, you did post the initial picture.

[Mark in Rochester]

Some photos for comparison. Some real, some reenactments.
Sorry, Mark, didn't want to hijack......but to be fair, you did post the initial picture.

no issues - sometimes the reenactors slip by - but very few - if the images are too crisp and uniforms to clean it's a giveaway - got fooled by the sepia tone - somedays I put in less effort in the search. Most all original ww2 photos will contain image flaws as seen in the sky in the image below.



Most all are scanned from a print. Even the Life photo archive prints show some negative dust on their scans. note below the tail

[BEAR]

You do a great service for this site Mark and at least the M1s pictured were not reenactors (and that what this is about).