Dickey Chapelle

Dickey Chapelle is one of the most underrated female war correspondents in history. Serving during during the war era, she covered events from the Battle of Iwo Jima to the Vietnam war. Chapelle was responsible for documenting myriad photos that are considered staples in our understanding of the war front.

Chapelle was the first female war photographer to be killed in action and is survived by her colleagues, family, and friend as fearless and unrelenting. A few of the images shot by Chapelle have become extremely famous, while a great many of her images have not made it to the mainstream public.

To me, her images of Vietnamese families living in a war torn area are the most emotionally striking. The Vietnamese war was an extremely controversial, polarized war and her photos not only capture the realities of these families that are having to live in the war on a day to day basis, but they allow for Americans to visually place themselves in the situations of these families across the world.


Vietnamese children react to mortar life circa 1961-62. (Dickey Chapelle/Wisconsin Historical Images)

The photo above depicts children going about their day to day lives in war torn Vietnam. The selection of children for the subjects of the photo enhance the overall emotional response because children are so helpless and they have zero agency in this situation, specifically. The photo argues that war impacts a lot of individual human beings and that while our daily lives in America were not radically changed, thousands of families in Vietnam couldn't go a day without their life being disrupted by the war.



Fidel and Raul Castro pose with a bazooka during the Cuba Revolution in Oriente Province in 1958. (Dickey Chapelle/ Wisconsin Historical Images)

This photo is compelling for a variety of reasons. First, the status of the subjects give the photo a lot of value. Also, Chapelle's proximity to the violence of the war shows her dedication to her photography and reiterates her fearlessness.



South Vietnamese soldiers during a live fire artillery drill, circa 1961-62 (Dickey Chapelle/Wisconsin Historical Images)

Again, this photo gives the audience the shock factor immediately upon looking at it due to the proximity of the photographer. It is very likely that in a live fire artillery drill, with nothing to arm her  but a camera, that Chapelle's life was at risk. This photo captures the fear on the face of the soldiers and emphasizes the strife that the soldiers have to go through.