This image, in which the ranks have closed around the sword and shield of an emblematic warrior figure constituted out of the religious faithful, foregrounds the militant and militaristic impulse embedded in this photo-practice, emerging as it does from a religious community grounded in fighting spirit and missionary zealotry.

It was a short step from a militaristic image in the service of the Christian communal to spectacular images such as Human U.S. Shield, Living American Flag, and Living Statue of Liberty, each using the American military to affirm the bonds of national community. Mole and Thomas would spend a week or more on preparations for each photograph. This began by tracing the desired image on a ground-glass plate mounted on Mole’s camera. Using a megaphone, body language, and a long pole with a white flag tied to the end to point to the more remote areas where the bulk of the troops had to be stationed, Mole would then position his helpers on the field as they nailed the pattern to the ground with miles of lace edging. In this way, Mole also figured out the exact number of troops required. These steps were preliminary to the many hours required to assemble and position the troops on the day of shooting. For The Human Liberty Bell, Mole and Thomas traveled to Camp Dix, New Jersey (not far from the City of Brotherly Love), to assemble 25,000 troops in the shape of this national icon. The photo stages the Liberty Bell replete with its famous crack to increase its mimetic likeness and symbolic power. The human inscription of the word “LIBERTY” at the top of the bell signals an advance over the cue cards used in earlier images, such as the Zion Shield. Given that this patriotic symbol is composed of troops, the image delivers the platitude that American military involvement is always undertaken in defense of liberty.