Philippines

rif. PD10 — Oblong Octavo album ca.182x295 cm or 7 ¼ x 11 ½ in. 30 card stock leaves with 2 free endpapers. With 105 original gelatin silver photographs including one loose from ca. 104x75 cm 4 x 3 in to 47x64 cm 1 ¾ x 2 ½ in. All photos with white ink captions in English on the mounts seven photos captioned in negatives some photos dated. Period dark green half leather binding with raised bands; guilt-tooled ornaments on the front cover and the spine. Seven photos missing one page lacks fragments at the right margin several pages with minor tears but otherwise a very good album with strong interesting photos. Historically interesting collection of original photographs mostly documenting the technical reconstruction of Manila’s communication networks after the end of World War II. As follows from the photographs the compiler was a technician or lineman with the U.S. Army Signal Corps. First stationed in Pittsburgh in 1943 he likely underwent specialized technical training at one of the city's industrial or academic centers before being deployed to Finschhafen New Guinea. There he was tasked with establishing the communications infrastructure for the Allied base following the recapture of the town from Japanese forces. Finally he was sent to Manila in the fall of 1945 where he assisted in the massive effort to reconstruct the city’s destroyed telephone and telegraph systems during the initial months of the post-war occupation. The album contains 105 rare early photographs from the Pacific Theatre with most images taken in Manila in the fall of 1945. The photos capture Japanese ships sunk by U.S. forces in Manila Bay and the city’s architecture before and after the artillery bombardment Escolta Street Jones Bridge the ruins of City Hall the University of the Philippines the Manila Hotel San Vicente de Paul Parish Department of Finance Building today’s National Museum of Anthropology Commerce & Agriculture Building today’s National Museum of Natural History and Legislative Building today’s National Museum of Fine Arts. Especially interesting are about fifteen candid photographs documenting the technical reconstruction of Manila’s communication networks. Outdoor scenes show the compiler’s companions with climbing spikes and safety belts repairing overhead trunk lines. Interior views depict a “Test Desk” with technicians both American and Philippian operating specialized consoles and patch cords the massive Main Distribution Frame MDF with thousands of line terminations and heavy power panel equipment. The series also includes several photographs from Clark Field showing “Ralph” and “Eddie” posing beside wrecked aircraft. The other interesting photos from the collection show “a Native of New Guinea” posing with American soldiers as well as the compiler and his friends in military uniforms in Finschhafen and Pittsburgh beside their tents barracks and orderly room. Overall historically interesting collection of original gelatin silver photographs illustrating rare scenes from the service of the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the Pacific Theatre of World War II. hardcover