The Most Beautiful Suicide

[Fawkes]

I just recently saw this photograph for the first time and it immediately has become one of my favorites. The backstory is this woman Evelyn McHale jumped off of the Empire State Building in the 1940s largely due to the authoritative nature of her fiance and she landed on a U.N. limousine on 33rd Street. A photography student whose name I don't remember was across the street and took this picture. Her white glove and lipstick adorned seemingly delicate body appears perfectly intact atop the decimated car and it offers a simultaneously eerie and beautiful juxtaposition of death as a peaceful finality and a horrible and traumatic reality*.
http://kottkegae.appspot.com/images/evelyn-mchale.jpg

Anyway, thoughts?

Edit: Robert Wiles was the photographer.


* wow, I sound like a darsh

Edit 2: turns out the piece I read where it was said that her relationship with her fiance was a restrictive and authoritative one was actually a fictional short story inspired by the few known facts about her, not a factual account as I had originally thought.

[Jalapeno Enema]

I really don't know what to think.

I've seen a splattered corpse or two, and from much less height then this, so I'd expect a significant amount of trauma. I see nothing to indicate any trauma.

On the other hand, after a quick google, I could not find anything to question the authenticity of the photograph.

[Widerstand]

Pretty.

[Tablo]

The car may have cushioned the impact a bit. It is an eerie picture.

[Red Commissar]

Here is the same photo in Life Magazine (1947 issue) where it became well known:

http://books.google.com/books?id=ZEgEAAAAMBAJ&lpg=PA7&pg=PA43#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Fawkes]

I just realized she's holding onto a pearl necklace too. I find it hard to imagine that someone falling 1,000 feet down would still manage to maintain control of their body enough to grasp a necklace. I'm becoming unusually obsessed with this picture and her, I've spent hours researching trying to find out more about her, but there's next to nothing available on the internet.

In a weird way, this is probably the most beautiful portrait I've ever seen.

[Manic Impressive]

It is an amazing photo, beautiful but scary at the same time.

In regards to holding on to the necklace muscles generally tighten when scared she probably wouldn't have been able to let go if she wanted to. If you can find out her name you could definitely find out information about her. Search for death certificates in New York under her name you already know the year. Then you could find the birth certificate and build from there.

edit: ah sorry you do know her name and the year is probably either '46 or '47 seeing as that's when the magazine was published. Search the census records for her name

2nd edit: I couldn't resist doing a quick search here's six possibles
http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?tracktype=S&trackval=SUMMARY&gl2=allgs&gspl=1&gl=allgs&prox=1&gst=35&gsfn=Evelyn&gsln=Mchale&submit2.x=72&submit2.y=5&o_xid=34051&o_lid=34051

[Fawkes]

I did get some information about her (this is written by someone else, not me):

Evelyn Francis McHale was born in Berkeley California Sept 20, 1923. She was the sixth of seven children of Vincent and Helen McHale... the first four children were born 1 year apart, the last three were born 2 years apart. Her father was a bank examiner, orig from Illinois, her mother orig from Pa, was a housewife.
Around 1930, they moved to Washington, DC, where her father became an examiner for the Federal Land Bank. Also at this time her mother left, moving to an apartment in another part of Washington.
The father retained custody of all seven children. Evelyn was 6.
Whether the mother left voluntarily or was told to leave is unknown at his time.
After high school, in 1943, Evelyn became a WAC and was stationed in Jefferson Mo.
Friends say that when she was discharged,she burned her uniform.
At some point, she moved to NYC to work, living with her brother and sister in law. She met and became engaged to a young man named Barry Rhodes, a 24 year old who was just out of the Air Force and attending Lafayette College in Easton Pa. They were to be married at his brother's house in Troy, NY.
A year before her death, Evelyn had been a bridesmaid at Barry's younger brother's wedding.
After the wedding, she removed her bridesmaid gown, said "I never want to see this again" and burned it.
On the day she jumped, Barry said, she seemed happy and looking forward to the marriage as she boarded the train home.
There was a security guard less than twelve feet from where she jumped.
In her suicide note, she wrote:
"My fiance asked me to marry him in June, but I don't think I would make a good wife for anyone. He is much better off without me. Tell my father, I have too many of my mother's tendencies. I don't want anyone in or out of my family to see any part of me. Could you destroy my body by cremation? I beg of you and my family -don't have any service or remembrance for me."
She was cremated per her request.

[Fawkes]

Kind of ironic that she wanted every trace of her destroyed, yet she is one of the most famous photographed corpses ever.

[Jalapeno Enema]

The car may have cushioned the impact a bit. It is an eerie picture.See, that's another question about the picture; why didn't the body bounce off the car onto the pavement.

If the photo is authentic, it was a one in a million.

Her eyes are shut, which sometimes bodies are found, but usually not.

As is, I have my doubts. The way the car is damaged would suggest she fell head-first, and heads bleed like you wouldn't believe. The left arm, since it hit the roof right on should be shattered, the right arm is through the window (which at the point of impact would have been perpendicular to the roof.)

Maybe she could have hit, bounced up and settled into that position. Idk.

I'm not familiar with media practices at the time. Would it be possible that the scene could have been considered too gory for public spectacle, and a dramatized photo was taken after the fact for the story?

[Fawkes]

Most corpses aren't photographed after a suicide, and it's not like she was famous or anything, so I doubt anyone staged it because it was too gory. Also, the back of her head probably is bleeding really badly. And her right arm could have landed on the window if only the low 3/4 of her body hit the roof of the car and as it caved in, the rest landed on what used to be the side of the car. Her eyes are probably shut because she probably had them closed while jumping, that's gotta be a pretty scary thing. It is one in a million, which is why I think it's so amazing. Also, as far as we know, it was taken by some photography student, not an AP photographer or someone like that.

[Jalapeno Enema]

. . . Also, the back of her head probably is bleeding really badly. . .In a case of cranial trauma that significant, despite where any actual wounds are, in my experience, there is much blood coming out of the mouth and nose, as well as CSF/blood out the ears.


And her right arm could have landed on the window if only the low 3/4 of her body hit the roof of the car and as it caved in, the rest landed on what used to be the side of the car.If the point of impact was her lower body, her legs should exhibit significant damage, and the part of the roof caved in most would be under the lower half of her body.

[Tablo]

In a case of cranial trauma that significant, despite where any actual wounds are, in my experience, there is much blood coming out of the mouth and nose, as well as CSF/blood out the ears.

If the point of impact was her lower body, her legs should exhibit significant damage, and the part of the roof caved in most would be under the lower half of her body.
I think the whole thing that makes the picture cool is that there isn't any visible damage in the photograph...

[Manic Impressive]

In a case of cranial trauma that significant, despite where any actual wounds are, in my experience, there is much blood coming out of the mouth and nose, as well as CSF/blood out the ears.

If the point of impact was her lower body, her legs should exhibit significant damage, and the part of the roof caved in most would be under the lower half of her body.
In your experience? what are you CSI or something?:p

People survive falling out of aeroplanes when their parachute doesn't open and they just break their legs. Also the way the metal has folded it doesn't seem like she bounced it looks like it kind of just folded around her which would have cushioned it a bit.

[Spawn of Stalin]

Ah this gem. It's a wonderful image and 100% genuine. I found a print (not from the original neg) in a box belonging to my college photography lecturer like six years ago, when I asked him about it he said he found the young woman "quite charming", he seemed quite emotional about the image which I thought was weird as he had been a photographer in Bosnia and was generally desensitised to the sight of corpses. Personally I didn't particularly like it but made a copy anyway and grew to love it, I'd quite like to hang it on my wall actually.

[Jalapeno Enema]

In your experience? what are you CSI or something?:pEmergency Medical Services.

In most cases of unexpected deaths, such as suicides and accidents, an ambulance will take the body to the morgue once the medical examiner has proclaimed time of death (as opposed to the funeral director taking the body to the mortuary under normal circumstances.)

[Manic Impressive]

haha ok you have a shit load more experience than me :D

[Jalapeno Enema]

I really am not calling the photo as a hoax; it's just in order for a body to be found like that, untampered and un-staged, really is quite amazing. In the interests of healthy skepticism I've wanted to look into the history of the photo.

I've found no disputes to the authenticity of the photo, but it still blows my mind.

[Knight of Cydonia]

nice one...

[Adil3tr]

This is on Revleft because...?

[Fawkes]

This is on Revleft because...?
...it's a beautiful picture.


Oh, sorry that it's not a black, red, and grey picture of a big burly man swinging a hammer.

What, do you think everything on this website has to be overtly political?

[Adil3tr]

...it's a beautiful picture.


Oh, sorry that it's not a black, red, and grey picture of a big burly man swinging a hammer.

What, do you think everything on this website has to be overtly political?

Yes. That's why it's called Revleft. A picture of a comradete holding a rifle would be fine.

[Rafiq]

This photograph, can be described as.... Dreadfully wonderful.

[Fawkes]

Yes. That's why it's called Revleft. A picture of a comradete holding a rifle would be fine.

Have you ever heard the song "Your Emotions" by Dead Kennedys?

"You're so boring, boring, boring"



Plastic and Graphic Arts: A place to discuss photography, visual art, propaganda pictures, art theory, art history, and any other art topic.

Sorry it's not all gonna be riot/battle porn.

[Dr Mindbender]

In your experience? what are you CSI or something?:p

People survive falling out of aeroplanes when their parachute doesn't open and they just break their legs. Also the way the metal has folded it doesn't seem like she bounced it looks like it kind of just folded around her which would have cushioned it a bit.

This is true. During world war 2 one of the aircrew of a RAF lancaster bomber survived a 30 000 foot fall when his parachute failed to deploy because he landed in a snow drift. The Germans shot him.

[Broletariat]

This is true. During world war 2 one of the aircrew of a RAF lancaster bomber survived a 30 000 foot fall when his parachute failed to deploy because he landed in a snow drift. The Germans shot him.
That would suck so bad. I can see it now, the guy gets out of the snow and goes, holy fuck I'm alive what the shit dude *turns around and sees Germans* aww fuck.

[heiss93]

This is on Revleft because...?

It shows the dialectical conflict between organic and mechanical matter.

[Lyev]

Here (http://codex99.com/photography/43.html) is a little blog post about her and the photo:
This photo by Robert Wiles was published as a full-page image in the 12 May 1947 issue of Life Magazine. It ran with the caption: “At the bottom of the Empire State Building the body of Evelyn McHale reposes calmly in grotesque bier, her falling body punched into the top of a car.”

Remarkably Evelyn shows absolutely no evidence of trauma and appears disarmingly placid and composed – as if asleep.1 Around her, however, the crumpled sheet metal and broken glass show the violent destructive evidence of her jump. This apparent juxtaposition is what makes Wiles’ image so arresting and memorable. Some 60 years later it remains a haunting and affecting piece of photo-journalism.

Evelyn Francis McHale, 20 (or maybe 23, reports differ), was a bookkeeper at an engraving company2 and lived with her sister's family in Baldwin, New York. She had just returned from visiting her fiance, an ex-GI studying at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. Exactly what happened during that visit will never be known but the next day, Thur, 1 May 1947, she went to the 86th floor observation deck of the Empire State Building.

Around 10:40 am Patrolman John Morrissey, directing traffic at Thirty-fourth Street and Fifth Avenue, noticed a white scarf floating down from the upper floors of the building. Moments later he heard a crash and saw a crowd converge on 34th street. Evelyn had jumped, cleared the setbacks, and landed on the roof of a United Nations Assembly limousine parked on 34th street, some 200 feet west of 5th Ave.

Across the street, Robert Wiles, a student photographer, also noticed the commotion and rushed to the scene where he took this photo some four minutes after her death.

Later, on the observation deck, Detective Frank Murray found her gray cloth coat, her pocketbook, a make-up kit filled with family pictures and a suicide note. According to police she wrote about having to fix a June wedding date and crossed out the line "He is much better off without me...I wouldn't make a good wife for anybody." 3,4

After Wiles sold his photograph to Life magazine it was widely reprinted5 and Evelyn’s image has become something of a pop culture icon. Warhol even expropriated it for his 1962 painting, Suicide (Fallen Body).

1. Hence Kottke’s (http://kottke.org/08/07/the-most-beautiful-suicide) title: The most beautiful suicide.
2. Kitab Engraving Company, 40 Pearl Street, Baldwin, New York.
3. Evelyn’s suicide was reported the next day in several newspapers: “Empire State Leap Ends Life of Girl, 20.” New York Times. 2 May 1947: 23, “Afraid to Wed, Girl Plunges to Death from Empire State.” Chicago Tribune. 2 May 1947: 4 and “Doubting Woman Dives to Death.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2 May 1947: 1.
4. Evelyn was one of five people in a three week period to attempt suicide from the 86th floor observation deck. In response a wire mesh fence was installed and guards were trained to spot potential jumpers. Since its completion in 1931, 36 people have jumped from the building, including 16 from the 86th floor observation deck. After the barrier was installed in 1947 people just jumped from other parts of the building, usually from office windows. The most recent suicide was from a 39th floor window on 7 Jan 2009.
5. “Picture of the Week.” Life. 12 May 1947. See also: Maloney, Tom (ed). U.S. Camera, vol 2. New York: Morrow, 1948, as well as several Best of Life collections.
8 Oct 2009 ‧ Photography