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June 1942. Jefferson County, Tennessee. "Tennessee Valley Authority -- Cherokee Dam, Holston River. Riveter atop a 250-ton hoist." Acetate negative by Arthur Rothstein. View full size.
Looks like a setup for a Star Wars shoot.
He’s there, but a little hard to see.
A (more) recent view of the dam hoist.
https://www.tva.com/energy/our-power-system/hydroelectric/cherokee
That's a long way down. I doubt he is, but hopefully, he is strapped to something up there.
There were years of arguments about the fact that Rothstein moved the steer skull in his famous Badlands photo of 1936.
Here's an example where he couldn't move the object--and didn't need to, though he surely gave much attention to finding the place to stand. It's a lesson in composition with thematic effect (grandeur and monumentality, with humans both dwarfed and "on top").
[Or no humans at all. - Dave]
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