Soldier Thrown in Air

Lewis Hine

National Gallery of Art

This black-and-white photograph shows a group of men in dark shirts with dark, wide-brimmed hats. Everyone is gathered outdoors near some pointed gray tents, and they appear to be in a loose circle, holding a tarp or cloth stretched out between them. One man appears to float in the air above the group, his body horizontal, facing the right. The men below him are all smiling widely, some appearing to laugh. In the bottom left corner, one man looks back over his shoulder at us, a white cigarette in his mouth. Most of the men appear to have light skin, although some are in shadow. The sky behind the tents and floating man is bright white.