Gerry Gilmore DF-SD-03-10657.JPEG

When it came time to art direct the Pentagon September 11th "attack" setting, nothing helped set the crisis mood quite as much as unrolling lots of yellow Do Not Enter police-line tape. Examples of its overuse in photographs taken that day are legion; examples of questionable, illogical, and comical use, even, as here in this attenuated Gerry Gilmore landscape, an interactive case!

Give it a click and pop it open. It's a biggy.

But first, do note what I take to be the man in the road who has been asked to duck for the camera.

At least two men in the background who wear blue shirts with gold insignia, stand and hold the tape like emergency stanchions, steering the cattle into the sluice, although the man on the right has no one helping and his role drops off before the picture crops, leaving a lacuna in the corral. We can only hope these longhorns don't leave the rodeo as a result.

The shirts look like either the tee or polo version worn by the F.B.I.Yellow Fire Engine #345 has been moved into a funny parallel position to block the view of something unfortunate or questionable, although they could just as easily have planted bittersweet vines--they're so fast growing. The engine is using its hose to cool down some hot inner-city youngsters just off camera.

Is the stress showing? It might as well. That this well known image could exist in the study carrel without comment these long years, gives me the liberty I think, to put it in an asses corral. And mix my metaphor to boot.

Oops. Found another one. The tape-holder stands directly behind the casually dressed man in red undershirt carrying a red bag. A jogger perhaps, with an absolutely enormous arm, whose hands are wearing latex medical gloves.


I've now found this image as attributed to Jim Garamone here