Staged Photos of The Spanish Civil War
On July 21st, 1936, Marina Ginesta was 17 years old and a member of the Unified Socialist Youth, a Republican group during the Spanish Civil War. She and the rest of her faction had just defeated an uprising in Barcelona, and were living out of the Hotel Colon in Plaza de Catalunya in what she referred to herself as a "bourgeois manner" until their supplies ran out. The photographer was Hans Gutman, a German who went by Juan Guzman while in Spain. At 89, Ginesta was interviewed about this photo, and revealed that she didn't know the photo even still existed, and that it was staged. Ginesta and her faction had been celebrating their victory and Gutman was snapping photos. Another member of the USY lent Ginesta the machine gun for the photo, after making her swear to return it. (CITE: El Pais)
While some would have believed this photo was a spur of the moment decision, mid or just post-battle, due to the gun and the sense of pride on Ginesta's face. Just because the photograph was staged doesn't mean the sense of pride, confidence, and wonder are gone. This exhibit will examine some of the staged photos of the Spanish Civil War and the impact they held.
Marina Ginesta was not the only woman to be a model for a staged photo during the Spanish Civil War.
