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Photo of the Week #127

Larry Burrows

Larry Burrows Larry Burrows, Lang Vei (border of South Vietnam and Laos), February 7, 1971 This photograph by Roger Mattingly was one of the last taken of Larry Burrows.

Larry Burrows, Lang Vei (border of South Vietnam and Laos), February 7, 1971
This photograph by Roger Mattingly was one of the last taken of Larry Burrows.

Larry Burrows Operation Prairie - Hill 484, 1966

Operation Prairie - Hill 484, 1966

Larry Burrows Relief of the Khe Sanh, 1968

Relief of the Khe Sanh, 1968

Larry Burrows "Puff the Magic Dragon", Mekong Delta, 1966

"Puff the Magic Dragon", Mekong Delta, 1966

Larry Burrows Marines recover wounded under fire, Operation Prairie, 1966

Marines recover wounded under fire, Operation Prairie, 1966

Larry Burrows "Reaching Out", Mutter Ridge, Nui Cay Tri, 1966

"Reaching Out", Mutter Ridge, Nui Cay Tri, 1966

Larry Burrows Men of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines in Prayer, 1966

Men of the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines in Prayer, 1966

Larry Burrows Communion Near the DMZ, 1966

Communion Near the DMZ, 1966

Larry Burrows Nguyễn Thị Tròn, 1968

Nguyễn Thị Tròn, 1968

Larry Burrows Yanke Papa 13: Farley shouts to his gunner "My gun is jammed!", 1965

Yankee Papa 13: Farley shouts to his gunner "My gun is jammed!", 1965

Larry Burrows Mother and Child, 1964

Mother and Child, 1964

Larry Burrows South Vietnamese Marine, 1964

South Vietnamese Marine, 1964

Larry Burrows The City, London, 1959

The City, London, 1959

Larry Burrows Brigette Bardot Prepares to Meet the London Press, 1959

Brigette Bardot Prepares to Meet the London Press, 1959

Larry Burrows Louis Armstrong Practicing on a Plane Ride from Nigeria to the Gold Coast in 1956

Louis Armstrong Practicing on a Plane Ride from Nigeria to the Gold Coast in 1956

Larry Burrows Winston Churchill, 1954

Winston Churchill, 1954

Description

LARRY BURROWS
May 29, 1926 – February 10, 1971

This week marks the 50 year anniversary of Larry Burrows's death. On February 10th, 1971 the helicopter in which he was traveling to photograph the invasion of Laos was shot down, killing all on board. Burrows began covering the Vietnam War for LIFE Magazine in 1962 and over the course of the next decade created a body of work that stands as the preeminent photographic document of that conflict. 

Burrows was born in London in 1926. At age 16, he began working in the lab of LIFE Magazine's London bureau. His photographs from the 1950's, on assignment for LIFE, were widely published. His memorable image of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, at a Royal Air Force station in 1954, with his back to the camera, typified Burrows' uncanny ability to capture layers of nuance and meaning through a person's body language.