National identity and the 'melancholy of ruins': Cecil Beaton's photographs of the London Blitz

Matheson, N. 2008. National identity and the 'melancholy of ruins': Cecil Beaton's photographs of the London Blitz. Journal of War and Culture Studies. 1 (3), pp. 261-274. https://doi.org/10.1386/jwcs.1.3.261_1

TitleNational identity and the 'melancholy of ruins': Cecil Beaton's photographs of the London Blitz
AuthorsMatheson, N.
Abstract

Wartime imagery recording the aftermath of bombing raids in Britain differs markedly from that depicting bomb damage in Germany and is closely bound up with narratives of cultural and national identity. In this article, the Blitz photographs of Cecil Beaton, as included in the book History Under Fire (1941), are analysed in relation to Eduardo Cadava's argument that Walter Benjamin's conception of history is developed through the language of photography.

JournalJournal of War and Culture Studies
Journal citation1 (3), pp. 261-274
ISSN1752-6272
Year2008
PublisherIntellect
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1386/jwcs.1.3.261_1
Publication dates
Published2008

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