MCDONALD, ALFRED L. (PHOTOGRAPHER).

Scenes on Japanese Islands Taken at End of War. [Manuscript Title].

[Japan]. (Circa 1945). Stock ID #173120

18 black and white photographs with matt finish measuring 20 x 25cm presented in an old Du Pont Defender Photo paper box (with a pencilled technical note referring to the production of the photographs "Dicromate of potash Reversal Process"). Inside the upper cover of the box handwritten notes in ink read "Shots Taken by/ Alfred L. McDonald W.W.2/Scenes on Japanese/islands Taken at end of war/U.S. Officers went ashore/to tell natives war was over." Three of the photographs are captioned in ink on reverse: Japanese Soldiers on Landing Barge, Yoron Shima; Japanese Shrine/Eratri, Shima; Japanese Thach (sic) Hut/Yoron, Shima. Very good condition.

An outstanding collection of 18 high-quality and historically significant photos of the end of the war on Yoron Island in the Amami Archipelago, between Okinawa and Kyushu. The photographer, Alfred L. McDonald, appears to have been a seaman on the USS Doyle, which arrived in Okinawan waters on 12 August 1945 and left on 1 September of the same year. The information written on the accompanying box states that the photos were taken when officers from the ship went ashore to tell the local people that the war was over. The photos show Japanese troops on barges and some vivid - and quite peaceful-seeming - scenes of village life. The photographer is highly skilled and appeared to have developed his own photos. He catches images of a young man leading a horse cart along a lane; villagers gathered on a beach; a woman with a small child on a boat; groups of children, rural thatched houses; and (quite surprisingly) a fishing boat flying the flag of the Republic of China. The collection is thus a valuable record of the distinctive culture and landscape of the Amami Archipelago in the mid-20th century.

When referring to this item please quote stockid 173120.

Price: $1,250.00 AU

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