The photograph was taken on May 6, 1937 during the approach of the Hindenburg to the naval air station at Lakehurst, New Jersey. The airship LZ 129 was on the final leg of its transatlantic crossing, shortly before the planned mooring maneuver at the mooring mast. Shortly thereafter, during docking, the hydrogen-filled airship caught fire and burned completely in approximately half a minute; 36 of the 97 people on board perished.