Jan 5, 2022 - Politics & Policy

Jan. 6 through the lens of a 1950s news camera

Mike Allen

Black and white photos of Capitol Police officers in uniform — Photos: Frank Thorp V/NBC News. Used by kind permission

Amid the look-backs for tomorrow's anniversary of the Capitol insurrection is an unusually solemn, memorable collection from Frank Thorp V, an NBC News producer and reporter who has a sideline for taking photos with a large-format Speed Graphic camera from the 1950s, like the old-fashioned news cameras you see in the movies.

The big picture: Above (left to right) are the Speed Graphic's view of Capitol Police Lt. Rani Brooks, Officer Anthony Booth and Capt. Carneysha C. Mendoza — photographed by Thorp ahead of the insurrection's 100-day mark.

What he's saying: Thorp, who was in NBC's Senate booth when the Capitol was breached, told Axios: "After a natural disaster, there's no debate about how bad it was for the people involved."

"The people who experienced this — particularly the police officers — have to read the news and see politicians saying the attack wasn't that bad."

Go deeper: "After the Riot"

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Jan. 6 through the lens of a 1950s news camera

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