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John Whiting prior to 1917 |
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Letter from Lawrence to Whiting. Click to enlarge |
Fluent in Arabic, he was also a British intelligence agent.
At the request of the Turkish leadership, Whiting photographed the terrible locust plague that struck Palestine in 1915, a task that allowed him to travel throughout the country on the eve of World War I. A letter from British officer T. H. Lawrence to "My dear Whiting" after the British capture of Jerusalem thanks Whiting for his activity in support of the
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From Whiting's photo diary: "Orthodox Jews returning from Western Wall first day of Passover, March 26, 1937." The picture was taken inside the Jaffa Gate. One man covered his eyes to avoid being photographed. |
Around the same time Whiting was filming locusts in Palestine, an acclaimed Jewish agronomist Aaron Aaronsohn was traveling around the countryside doing his agricultural research. Aaronsohn was the founder of the pro-British NILI spy network working against the Turks. Historians have not found a link - yet - between the two men.
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"Auto with brooms to sweep away tacks thrown by strikers." (1936) |
Whiting's trip coincided with the "Arab Revolt," and some of the pictures reflect the conflict.
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Searches "immediately after bomb throwing at Spinney's market. Searching all passing through Jaffa Gate breach" (1936). Also here |
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Packing a stone from Solomon's Quarries for shipment to the United States (1937) |
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Aftermath of flood in Syria, 1937. Mouaddamiyeh. Covered corpse, and searching for more. |
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Jewish residents "Playing ball, Tel Aviv sands," March 1937 |
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"Tel Aviv. December 1936. Modern grocery shop (Feast of Lights decorations)" |
I wish that I could see the entire album.
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