Harper's Weekly Issue, October 9, 1909- "A Journal of Civilization"

Harper's Weekly Issue, October 9, 1909- "A Journal of Civilization"

Ben horwitz

While this serves as a brief opening vignette for Nye's piece on "Rededicating the Statue of Liberty," Wright's flight around the Statue— and its portrayal in the "Journal of Civilization" says a lot about American attitudes towards technology (and indeed, liberty) at the time. The conjuring of emotions to which Nye refers is not limited to the Statue-- as the progression of Technology and its association and ties to American freedom and liberty have been exploited and expounded upon for decades prior and after this image was taken. The impact of the symbol/material representation of Liberty, while not explicitly initially as strong as it is today (according to Nye) grew to be a strong symbol.

"This image shows the front page of the Oct. 9, 1909, issue of Harper’s Weekly. It captures Wilbur Wright as he flies around the Statue of Liberty in an early Wright Type A Flyer Sept. 29, 1909, during the Hudson-Fulton Celebration. The issue is titled, “A New Kind of Gull in New York Harbor.”" -http://newsdesk.si.edu/snapshot/harpers-weekly Smithsonian

Harper's Weekly

Retrieved from Smithsonian: http://newsdesk.si.edu/snapshot/harpers-weekly