About This Lesson
In the weeks after September 11th, LIFE Magazine photographer, Joe McNally, invited rescuers, recovery workers, survivors, and bereaved family members to a studio in Manhattan's Bowery district, not far from Ground Zero, where he would capture unique Polaroids to memorialize them.
In less than a month, McNally produced several hundred giant Polaroids. Early in 2002, a selection of 150 from the series was installed at Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall. Visitors could walk among them, confronting the figures at life-scale. Later, a companion book was published to commemorate the project and gave the collection its enduring title: Faces of Ground Zero: Portraits of the Heroes of September 11, 2001.
Use the graphic organizer located in the resources tab to explore this featured online collection, which shares the stories of those deeply impacted by 9/11 and highlights the strength and purpose they found in the weeks following the attacks.
