What’s in a Picture?
What’s in a Picture?
What makes a good and interesting historic photograph? I’ve considered this through the years as I have been asked what my favorite photograph is in the Evansville Museum’s collection. On a broad level, I think a good historic photograph makes one think and want to learn more. In some cases, the thinking and learning are about a historic period and the who, what and why of an era, in other cases it is on a personal level or it may be a combination of the two. If forced to choose my favorite photograph in the Museum’s collection, or at least one of my very favorites among the over 14,000 in our collection, my choice falls into the latter category and is this fabulous depiction of the Evansville Shipyard taken on May 22, 1943, in the depths of World War II. There are a number of reasons why this image appeals to me.
At its very base, this photograph makes me think about the massive operation at the Evansville Shipyard during World War II constructing Landing Ship, Tanks (LSTs) for the United States Navy. I consider how this industrial giant, the largest employer in Evansville’s history with a peak workforce of 19,213, made these ships that not too many month earlier were only a concept envisioned by Americans and the British as they looked ahead to recapturing western Europe from its Nazi occupiers. I consider how ingenious people not only designed the LST, but also quickly put them into production at shipyards in various parts of the country, including in Evansville where no such facility had previously existed. I consider how only eight months after opening offices in the city, the Evansville Shipyard launched its first LST.
Of course, one looks at photographs for visual information and in studying this image much can be observed. In noting Reitz High School atop the hill at right, one considers the many young people from Evansville who served their country during World War II and those who made the ultimate sacrifice. One also sees the complexity of the Shipyard operation as LSTs are built on dry ground (several others would have also been underway off-camera to the right) as a gantry crane moves via rail to do its work. On the launching ramp is LST 178 (identified by the date of the image) as it is prepared for launching into the Ohio River. To its left, is the launching platform where speakers and dignitaries gathered for such events. Downriver are outfitting docks where the “guts” of LSTs were installed. Taking a look back onshore one sees two of the white, wooden buildings constructed to serve the needs of the Shipyard, and around the bend of the river is a power plant of the Southern Indiana Gas & Electric Company. If one looks more closely, it also possible to see a few of the many thousands of people employed at the Shipyard and ponder the hopes, dreams, and concerns of their lives.
On a personal level, this photograph reminds me of how fortunate I have been during my career at the Museum to meet men who sailed aboard Evansville-made LSTs and to interact with men and women who worked constructing these craft. I am especially reminded of two longer term interactions. One with the late Roman Ritzert, chief hull inspector at the Shipyard who, through his very clear memory, impressed upon me the amazing undertaking that was the Evansville Shipyard and the necessity of keeping this history alive. The other was with the crew of Evansville-built LST 543 who recorded an oral history with us on the 50th anniversary of D-Day, invited me to tour LST 325 with them when it was docked early on in Mobile, Alabama, and who made me an honorary crew member—something I continue to cherish.
This photograph holds special meaning for me and as you peruse historic images in your in-person and online travels, I encourage you to study them carefully as there is much to be learned. The old saying is that a picture is worth a thousand words and I hope you will find, as I did with this image of the Evansville Shipyard, that they are often worth many times that amount.
Thomas R. Lonnberg
Curator of History