September 11 Digital Archive

"Satan in the Smoke" Emails

Title

"Satan in the Smoke" Emails

Description

On the morning of September 11, immediately after two planes crashed into the World Trade Center in Manhattan, photojournalist Mark D. Phillips took a picture that would prove to be one of the most evocative and disputed images of that tragic day. Many peple later construed the image of the smoke in his photo of the burning buildings to compose the face of Satan. These e-mails related to this picture provide a revealing portal into Americans' responses to the attacks in the immediate aftermath of 9/11.

Items in the "Satan in the Smoke" Emails Collection

I also saw this image the day of the attack!!  It kind of freaked me out, but I also saw an angel image next to it. I told my co-workers about it and they just laughed like I was crazy, but when my friend sent me this e-mail, I got goosebumps. The…

Dear Stellarimages,I am writing to request if it would beO.K to merely provide a link to yourphotograph/page athttp://www.stellarimages.com/ by Mark D. Phillips of the face at twin towerssmoke. The reason I ask is that I amgetting approximately 100 -…

Thank you for making the photo available on the web.  3 years, I, too, took a picture that had a face in it.  Just a regular person w/a 35 mm taking a picture of my parents farm after my 56 year old Dad died.  Walmart which developed my picture…

Dear Mark,Natalie has told me some people have been accusing you of doctoring the World Trade Center photo. As a journalist concerned with ethics, I know damn well you didn't doctor the photo--it is absurd. People in times like these jump to…

THANK YPU SO MUCH FOR THE PIC I GOT IT FROM WORK AND I DO WORK FOR THE MAYOR BUT I TRULY BELIEVE THERE WERE HEAVENLY SPIRITS ABOVE THAT NASTY PIC IF YOU DO BELIEVE IN THE ANGELS AND YOU LOOK AT IT REAL CLOSE AND I MEAN REAL CLOSE YOU WILL SEE…

Dear Mr. Phillips,Thank you for your response. I do believe that you have received lots of e-mails concerning this but I don't believe that you weren't expecting that to happen. Of course it is not possible for me to say if the image is authentic or…

Hello,   I would like to know if I can save the picture of the twin towers with the face on my computer and print it to show people. Let me know if that is possible.     Thanks, Daniel Serian thoros@earthlink.net

Dear Mark,I can honestly say the photo of satan in the WTC is very impressive. I'm a Christian and believe there is a satan but I also believe my victory is won through my lord and savior Jesus Christ.However, I have to be a somewhat curious, it…

I am sending this to you because it really breaks my heart. I send my regards to those who suffer and are still suffering. It is hard to except. God bless, and my prayers  are with you. Please feel free to reply, this really has changed the way I…

Mark this is Keith Burr. The other day I sent you a e-mail stating that I thought I saw another image in the smoke. I think you took my message the wrong way. In no way I'am I trying to say anything bad about your picture. I find it amassing myself.…

Mark;How are you doing theses days? I hope all is well with you these days. Not much else to say.Take care;GuyContent-Transfer-Encoding: 7bitContent-Type: text/x-vcard; charset=us-ascii; name="gsolimano.vcf"Content-Description: Card for Guy V.…

Dear Mr. Kirby,It saddens me deeply that you have impeached the reputation of Mark Phillips in your article regarding the image he photographed of the World Trade Center tragedy. Some have interpretted the image in the smoke billowing from the World…

Dear Mr. Phillips,   I for one am glad that you captured this face in a photo. Our country was founded in the belief in God and as a nation we have drifted away from that belief. As a Christian I believe that this picture could very well be a warning…

I just wanted to let everyone at stellarimages know that you are trying to reap profits at the expence of those who died in WTCs. The picture which you have on you site at the following link:http://www.stellarimages.com/images/wtc01.gif which you…

Thanks for sharing this photo you took during the catastrophy. I swear it looks like George Bush..and that is scarey.. Barb

HEY, I think you did this just to have people look at your website! How sick if you get pleasure out of something SO SAD. I feel sorry for whats going on in YOUR mine if you did this just to have people check this out.              HOW SAD!!!!!!!…

Grow up>>>"Mark D. Phillips" 09/22/01 07:37AM >>> I'm sorry you feel this way and nothing I can say will change your mind. Maybe after you see your HOME attacked and try to take the publicity you are receiving and raise money for your neighbors hurt…

OK. Point taken.-----Original Message-----From: Mark D. Phillips [mailto:info@stellarimages.com] Sent: Tuesday, September 25, 2001 12:34 PM To: BMcClellan@MICROS.COMSubject: RE: Question...I am trying to keep my employees, who have worked hard and…

Mr. Phillips,I saw the face the first day in the live coverage on T.V.  I know you did not doctor the photographs in any way. My sincerest hopes and prayers are with you to be able to find peace in this time of insanity. Sincerely,Lesley Stagg

Noticed I spelled devil with a little "d".  Yes, I think the devil was truly in this, however, the devil still answers to God.  A lot of people would say, "How could God allow such a thing?"  It usually takes a tragedy to get our attention.  Sad, but…

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