Photojournalists from AP and The New York Times
donate photographs to museum collection

Images of the tragic events of September 11 and the aftermath are on display at George Eastman House as part of a new exhibition titled "Ground Zero." The 38 images focus on the World Trade Center tragedy, capturing the terror, confusion, emotion, dust, and rubble. All have been donated to the museum's photography collection by top photojournalists. The photographs featured have appeared in publications around the world, with most drawn from the Associated Press and The New York Times.

"It is important as an institution, with our strong reputation in and collection of photojournalism, to acknowledge the death of 6,000 people as well as the power of the image," said Marianne Fulton, senior scholar at George Eastman House. "Photojournalism is the most important kind of photography - it stays alive, remembers, become a document. And this tragedy has made us all keenly aware of the importance of photojournalism and videojournalism."

Fulton contacted news agencies after the September 11 events to inquire about the donation of images to the Eastman House. She was met with positive and generous responses. The images on display in "Ground Zero" include firefighters at work; employees rushing from the burning buildings; the second terrorist plane approaching the towers; and New Yorkers walking across bridges as they flee Manhattan. Museum visitors have been moved by "Ground Zero," describing it as "powerful" and "fascinating," and have noted their appreciation to the Eastman House for assembling the display.

The title "Ground Zero" is in reference to the term the media has assigned to the 16 acres in lower Manhattan that surround the former World Trade Center. The original meaning of "ground zero" is the place at which an atomic or hydrogen bomb explodes in air or water or on the surface of the earth.

Photographs featuring covers of publications from around the world are also included, hanging alongside the original prints. The power of the image is enhanced through this juxtaposition, demonstrating how photographs were used and cropped differently in various publications.

A second display in the museum, titled "Memory of a Flag," positions the now-famous image of three firefighters raising the American Flag on a makeshift pole amidst the World Trade Center rubble alongside the notable World War II photograph of the flag raising at Iwo Jima.