One hundred and thirty-seven years ago, two Burmese rebels were strung up on a wooden frame in Mandalay. Splay-legged, they face a British firing squad. The one on the left seems to have accepted his fate – but the one on the right is screaming in terror. The order to fire is given in the usual stages: “Ready, present… fire!”
Ready.
One-75th of a second would have passed, as per colonial protocol.
Present…
The execution is stopped. The Provost-Marshall, Willoughby Wallace Hooper, called for a pause. He is not present in his capacity as Provost. He’s there to photograph the moment of death – and he needed a few minutes to set up his camera.
The image you see now was taken after those minutes had passed when Willoughby timed his click to the moment the executer said “Fire!”
Willoughby claimed this was the first execution to be captured by the camera.
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