Overview
- Brief Narrative
- Photographic print by Robert Capa taken of the stranded cruiser, Altalena, offshore of Tel Aviv in July 1948. It depicts a long line of people on the beach observing a stranded ship. Passengers are abandoning the ship and there are many people visible on the ship and in the water. The photo was published as part of a photojournalistic essay: ‘‘Jews Fights Jews on the Beach of Tel Aviv."
- Artwork Title
- Irgun members and sympathizers watch swimmers abandon the Altalena
- Date
-
depiction:
1948 July
- Geography
-
creation:
Tel Aviv (Israel)
- Credit Line
- United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection, Gift of Mark Reichman
- Markings
- back, blue ink, typed on attached paper : JEWS FIGHT JEWS ON THE BEACH OF TEL AVIV. (underlined) Pix by Rbt. Capa. "Magnum" (underlined) / Rebellion by the terrorist organization, Irgun Zvei Leumi, / against the provisional government of Israel was fought out on the / beaches of Tel Aviv against the background of flames from a burning arms / ship. Irgun Commandos stormed the waterfront 50 yards from UNO's / truce H.Q. Under the first impact, Israel troops withdrew. Then / machine guns racked the beach. Artillery pounded the ship and she / caught fire. The attack was repulsed by the Israel troops.
back, right side, black ink, stamped : 33033
back, blue ink, typed on attached paper : 2. While the loudspeaker from the barge continues broadcasting / sympathisers and members of the Irgun infiltrate the beach area; / crowd round the railings, and in the water itself swimmers appear. / A man on a surfboat paddles over to the ship. Slowly the tension / mounts. aganah reinforcements arrive, and more and more members o / of the Irgun press the guards who are trying to cut off the approach / es to the beach.
back, black ink, stamped : SEE / 17 Jul 1948 / ILLUSTRATED
back, black ink, stamped : PROPERTY OF THE / PERIODICALS ART LIBRARY, / 191, HIGH HOLBURN, W.C.1. / MUST BE RETURNED UNDAMAGED (underlined) - Contributor
-
Photographer:
Robert Capa
Physical Details
- Language
- English
- Classification
-
Photographs
- Category
-
Photographic prints
- Object Type
-
War photography (lcsh)
- Physical Description
- Black and white photographic print of an outdoor scene shot from a distance. In the background is a cruiser stranded near the shore with a large expanse of ocean and horizon behind and to the right. There appear to be indistinct figures crowded on the upper deck. Along the shore line is a very long line of people looking toward the ship. In the middle ground is a stretch of beach, with trucks and a circular bandstand. On the verso are 3 adhered caption labels and stamps from his agency and a previous owner, and inscriptions in graphite and black and blue ink.
- Dimensions
- overall: Height: 7.750 inches (19.685 cm) | Width: 7.500 inches (19.05 cm)
- Materials
- overall : gelatin silver print, paper, adhesive, ink, graphite
- Inscription
- back, top left, pencil : 2 (encircled)
back, top right, pencil : T1589
back, bottom left, pencil : RC-36
back, bottom right, pencil : 7 (with line through middle)
back, right side, black ink, handwritten : /15.
Rights & Restrictions
- Conditions on Access
- No restrictions on access
- Conditions on Use
- Restrictions on use
Keywords & Subjects
- Topical Term
- Israel-Arab War, 1948-1949--Pictorial works. Israel--History--Declaration of Independence, 1948--Pictorial works. Jewish photographers--United States. Photojournalists--United States. War photographers--United States.
- Geographic Name
- Israel--History--1948-1967.
- Personal Name
- Capa, Robert, 1913-1954.
Administrative Notes
- Legal Status
- Permanent Collection
- Provenance
- The photograph was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2005 by Dr. Mark Reichman.
- Record last modified:
- 2023-07-10 11:22:06
- This page:
- https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn524084
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Also in Robert Capa and Mark Markov-Grinberg collection
The collection consists of photographs taken by Robert Capa, a Hungarian Jewish photojournalist, during the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, and photographic prints by Mark Markov-Grinberg, a Soviet Jewish photographer and war correspondent, before and during World War II.
Date: 1930-1949
Robert Capa photograph of an Orthodox Jewish male in a rubble strewn street
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa taken 10 minutes after the cease-fire began in June 1948 in the old Orthodox Jewish quarter in Jerusalem. This area was the closest to the front and had experienced the heaviest shelling. It was published as part of a photojournalistic essay: ‘‘A Tale of Two Cities’’, published with text by Irwin Shaw in the London magazine, Illustrated, in July 1948.
Robert Capa photograph of an elderly stone mason cutting a road for Israeli soldiers
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa depicting Israeli soldiers waiting for a stone mason to assemble his compressor to cut stones for a new road to Jerusalem in June 1948. It was published as part of a photojournalistic essay: ‘‘A Tale of Two Cities’’, in July 1948 in the London magazine, Illustrated, with text by Irwin Shaw. It records the last hours in Jerusalem before the cease fire, when the city and the mountain road was being bombed and under constant fire.
Robert Capa photograph of 3 soldiers loading a truck in Tel Aviv
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa taken in Tel Aviv in July 1948 of Israeli soldiers on a street corner. It was published as part of a photojournalistic essay: ‘‘Israel’s First Year’’, published in August 1948 in the London magazine, Illustrated. The caption on the reverse of this photograph does not reflect the scene described in the caption; it is possible that it was cropped or that the caption refers to another photograph used in the article. There was an article by this title using Capa photographs, published in Life magazine in July: ‘‘Jew Fights Jew in Israel: photographer records ill-fated Irgun landing."
Robert Capa photograph of two soldiers carrying a stretcher with a wounded man
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa taken in Tel Aviv in July 1948 as Irgun soldiers, now part of the Israeli Defense Forces, removed their wounded from the beach while under heavy fire. It was published as part of a photojournalistic essay: "Palestine War: Jews Rebellion Against Provisional Government."
Robert Capa photograph of the ship Altalena, Israeli War for Independence
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa taken of the main bathing beach in Tel Aviv aof the stranded offshore cruiser, Altalena, in July 1948. It taken during the Israeli War for Independence from the rooftop of the United Nations observers station in the Hotel Kaethe Dan. The photo was published as part of a photojournalistic essay: ‘‘Jews Fights Jews on the Beach of Tel Aviv."
Robert Capa photograph of a performance by the Israeli Philharmonic
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa taken of the Israeli Philharmonic in Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv in August 1949. It was published as part of a promotional piece: "Israel's First Year: A Report on a New State."
Robert Capa photograph of an elderly Jewish man in the new state of Israel
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa of an elderly white bearded Jewish man, a citizen of the new state of Israel, taken in August 1949. It was published as part of a promotional piece: ‘‘Israel's First Year. A Report on a new state."
Robert Capa photograph of a Palestinian in Arabic dress at a barbed wire border
Object
Photographic print by Robert Capa of a Palestinian on the other side of the barbed wire border in the middle of the street in Beit Jala, near Bethelem, Israel, taken in August 1949. It was published as part of a promotional piece: ‘‘Israel's First Year. A Report on a new state."
Mark Markov-Grinberg photograph of a nude female statue with an oar against a moonlit sky
Object
Photographic print depicting a night scene of a nude female sculpture by Mark Markov-Grinberg. Markov-Grinberg was a major Social Realist photographer during the Stalinist era of the 1930s-1940s. He worked for major newspapers and journals, including TASS. He was a war correspondent during the Soviet-Finnish War from 1939-1940 and, in 1941, was drafted to fight in World War II. While a soldier, he continued his work as a photographer and army correspondent. After the war, he returned to his job at TASS.
Markov-Grinberg photograph of a smiling girl wearing a headscarf and waving a cloth
Object
Photographic print of the Celebration of the Horsemen in the North Caucases (sic) by Mark Markov-Grinberg. Markov-Grinberg was a major Social Realist photographer during the Stalinist era of the 1930s-1940s. He worked for major newspapers and journals, including TASS. He was a war correspondent during the Soviet-Finnish War from 1939-1940 and, in 1941, was drafted to fight in World War II. While a soldier, he continued his work as a photographer and army correspondent. After the war, he returned to his job at TASS.
Markov-Grinberg photograph of a smiling young man and woman rowing a boat
Object
Photograph of a young couple in a rowboat by Mark Markov-Grinberg. Markov-Grinberg was a major Social Realist photographer during the Stalinist era of the 1930s-1940s. He worked for major newspapers and journals, including TASS. He was a war correspondent during the Soviet-Finnish War from 1939-1940 and, in 1941, was drafted to fight in World War II. While a soldier, he continued his work as a photographer and army correspondent. After the war, he returned to his job at TASS.
Markov-Grinberg photograph of soldiers driving horse drawn wagons while planes fly overhead
Object
Photograph of soldiers in Kiev on military maneuvers by Mark Markov- Grinberg. Markov-Grinberg was a major Social Realist photographer during the Stalinist era of the 1930s-1940s. He worked for major newspapers and journals, including TASS. He was a war correspondent during the Soviet-Finnish War from 1939-1940 and, in 1941, was drafted to fight in World War II. While a soldier, he continued his work as a photographer and army correspondent. After the war, he returned to his job at TASS.
