Cameras as guns

Seen here is a picture postcard of an execution that took place in 1916 during the Mexican Revolution. Over at Tex[t]-Mex Galleryblog, William Nericcio links to a gallery of such images and comments on the notion of "camera as gun" and an "optics of war." Nericcio explores the idea in greater depth in his book, Tex[t]-Mex: Seductive Hallucinations of the "Mexican" in America.

Link to Tex[t]-Mex post, Link to gallery of Mexican Revolution Photo Postcards (Thanks, Mark Dery!)

Previously on BB:
• Leica rifle camera Link

[#1 posted by JJR1971 , May 12, 2008 11:05 AM]

Ambrose Bierce, I presume? ;-)

[#2 posted by Maddy , May 12, 2008 11:28 AM]

that poor,poor dude ... that was his lot in life ... to face a firing squad ... I mean, he could have been a bad guy, but often in revolutionary mob moments -- he could have just been an unlucky guy

[#3 posted by spazzm , May 12, 2008 2:38 PM]

Note the cloud of dust next to the condemned man.
It's not an easy thing to shoot a fellow human being, and a lot of firing squad members 'accidentally' miss.