AA-2026-125FE9
On the image
From cruising altitude in the 1970s, the world flattened itself into a series of predictable blue and brown expanses, punctuated by occasional bright lines. People paid money to be propelled across these vast distances, then took out cameras to capture a view their eyes had already processed, just in case their memories decided to get creative later.
This particular bright line, a stretch of coastline seen from a jet window, represents a holiday destination for some, a place where sand and water meet, creating the perfect environment for a future sunburn. From this height, all human activity on it becomes irrelevant.
The primary purpose of such a photograph was to prove that one had, in fact, travelled. The secondary purpose was to forget the cramped seat and recycled air, focusing instead on the abstract beauty of the planet, which tends to look better from 30,000 feet than from a cubicle.
The historian's note
The image depicts an aerial view of a coastline and open water, likely taken from a commercial airliner during the 1970s. Aerial photography from passenger aircraft became increasingly common as air travel expanded globally in the mid-20th century, offering passengers unique perspectives of landscapes and geographical features.
The bright line along the coast could indicate white sand beaches or light-coloured cliffs. Such images serve as a record of the appearance of geographical features during the period and the common practice of documenting air travel experiences. This type of vantage point was a novel experience for many travellers of the era, contrasting sharply with ground-level observations.
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Aerial View of Distant Coastline, 1970s. 1970–1979. Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library, AA-2026-125FE9. https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/aerial-view-of-distant-coastline-1970s.
@misc{aaAA2026125FE9,
title = {Aerial View of Distant Coastline, 1970s},
year = {1970–1979},
howpublished = {Archive \& Atlas, Historical Image Library},
note = {Accession AA-2026-125FE9},
url = {https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/aerial-view-of-distant-coastline-1970s}
}TY - ART TI - Aerial View of Distant Coastline, 1970s PY - 1970–1979 PB - Archive & Atlas, Historical Image Library AN - AA-2026-125FE9 UR - https://thearchive.archiveandatlas.com/library/aerial-view-of-distant-coastline-1970s ER -
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