A Cold War Tourist and His Camera: A photographic tour of hot spots in Europe, America, Canada, and Africa during the height of the Cold War.
by Martha Langford and John Langford
more +
The Lido, Venice, Italy, May 1963 An aerial view is closer to a map than a conventional landscape; the earliest experiments in aerial photography were conducted with military applications in mind. The same basic technology was still informing military intelligence, as the Cuban missile site photographs had only recently shown. This is God’s, or Big Brother’s, perspective. So however pretty the pictures, there is something slightly sinister in the bird’s-eye views from the big black whirlybird as it transports the Cold War tourists to their next round of meetings. Their knowledge and prestige are growing apace.

The Lido, Venice, Italy, May 1963

An aerial view is closer to a map than a conventional landscape; the earliest experiments in aerial photography were conducted with military applications in mind. The same basic technology was still informing military intelligence, as the Cuban missile site photographs had only recently shown. This is God’s, or Big Brother’s, perspective. So however pretty the pictures, there is something slightly sinister in the bird’s-eye views from the big black whirlybird as it transports the Cold War tourists to their next round of meetings. Their knowledge and prestige are growing apace.

Site Meter