One hundred and twelve years ago this month a pioneering aviator took on a challenge to photograph New York City from the air. His solution was to strap pontoons onto his Wright flier and take along a photographer from the American Press Association. Just 21 years old, the photographer, Adrian C Duff, became known as “The Camera Kid.” But his exploits would lead to an even more colorful moniker: Adrian C Duff was The Demon Photographer
The “Great Sedition Trial” uncovered shocking connections at the time with the German reich that we were fighting, and challenged the idea that the nation was of a single mind during the war. It also challenged exactly how far the national commitment to freedom of speech and opinion reached, especially in extraordinary times.