U.S. Signal Corps Cinematographers Online

Lieut. R.F. Lyons of 79th Division Photographic Unit in observer's seat of one of 90th Aero Squadron planes, 79th Division. Colorized picture, courtesy Harry Kidd

Link to original high res image

From the collection of the National Archives in Washington, DC, an impressive selection of World War I pictures has been uploaded on the Internet. These all show the work done by the Photographic Division of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, which was assigned to record the First World War in 1917-1918. Some of these pictures have been used in our latest book American Cinematographers in the Great War to accompany a chapter on these official cameramen from the U.S.A.

Signal Corps Cameramen

Among these pictures are also many interesting photographs showing the Signal Corps cameramen behind their photo and film equipment, such as Lieutenant Lyons of the 79the Division getting ready to make aerial moving pictures above the frontline, reproduced above. The weblog also has the last pictures taken by Lieutenant Estep, recorded by his camera shortly before he was killed in November 1918 on the Western Front.

To view these Signal Corps cameramen in action, here is the link.