![[Trails of Tracer Bullets]](/internal/media/dispatcher/363635/preview)
CultureUnknown
Titles
- [Trails of Tracer Bullets]
Date1940
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 2 1/2 × 3 1/2 in. (6.4 × 8.9 cm)
Sheet: 2 15/16 × 4 1/8 in. (7.5 × 10.4 cm)
Sheet: 2 15/16 × 4 1/8 in. (7.5 × 10.4 cm)
Credit LineBarbara Levine and Paige Ramey Collection, museum purchase funded by the Caroline Wiess Law Accessions Endowment Fund
Object number2020.137.29.9
Not on view
Explore Further
Department
PhotographyObject Type
rounds—usually loaded as every fifth bullet—were used extensively on both sides
during World War II to provide nighttime gunners with a way to see the path of
their live rounds. With a long exposure, photographs recorded the full
trajectory of the tracers, a pyrotechnic display that became a fixture of war
reporting and Hollywood films.
ProvenanceBarbara Levine and Paige Ramey; purchased by MFAH, 2020.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Inscribed in pencil, verso, center: [illegible] 21 17 // 1940
Cataloguing data may change with further research.
If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.
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