Visual Materials

Japanese occupation of Philippines photograph album

Image not available

Description: A photographic regimental history of the Japanese Imperial Army, Watari Philippine Occupation Expeditionary Force, 14th Army unit assigned to the Philippines during World War II. The halftone photographs with captions in Japanese are printed on the album pages, along with a few maps. Written in Japanese inside the front cover: "Suzuki Unit / Matsushima Group / Matsumoto Division." Images include: Military posts throughout the Philippines; broken American and Filipino tanks in Tarlac; destroyed bridges and buildings; Nitsuba house near Antimonan; the Suzuki Division headquarters in San Miguel; Amato jin'ya, or "Confection Barracks/Fort Sweet-Tooth" hung with Japanese flags; group photographs of Japanese Army forces, and others. Also featured is a unit memorial service with a eulogy given by Army Commander Honma Masaharu, who led the Japanese invasion of the Philippines.
Type: Visual Materials(Opens in new tab)
Production date: approximately 1943.
Call number: photCL 735
Provenance: Purchased from Zephyr Used & Rare Books, October 2024.

Photograph album of a Japanese American soldier in the U.S. occupation forces in Japan

Visual Materials

A personal photo album compiled and annotated by a Japanese American serviceman who served in the U.S. occupation forces during the post-World War II occupation of Japan. The album begins with his departure from Hawaii to Japan in 1946, including one image of his old school, McKinley High School in Honolulu. In Tokyo, there are many photographs of fellow soldiers, as well as Japanese young men and women; buildings and landmarks; parks; and army buildings. Two images of a large building are described as General Douglas MacArthur's headquarters in Tokyo, and there is one image of him walking out of the building. Besides Tokyo, the soldier is seen in Kamakura and Otake, near Iwakuni, where he may have been stationed later. Of note are a few images of building destruction in Hiroshima, 1947, in the aftermath of the atomic bombing. At the back of the album are many single and group portraits of Japanese residents, possibly family members or acquaintances in Iwakuni and Otake. The album has handwritten captions in English, with occasional captions written in Japanese.

photCL 667

Image not available

Dorothy O'Dell Philippines photograph album

Visual Materials

This album contains photographs compiled by Dorothy O'Dell, who resided in the Cavite province of the Philippines during her husband's service in the U.S. Navy. The images depict the couple's travel in England, India, Jerusalem, Panama, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam, capturing specific sites such as Mount Ebal, the "Gateway to Ancient Shechem," Sebastia (Palestine), the "Ancient Castle Thunton" (Taunton Castle, England), Windsor Castle (England), Edinburgh Castle (Scotland), Heidelberg Castle (Germany), the "Hindu Temple" (Meenakshi Amman Temple) and the "Lake Temple" (Vandiyur Mariamman Temple) in Madurai, India. The photographs also document their residence in O'ahu, Hawai'i and Dorothy's evacuation from the Philippines and return to the United States via the S.S. Washington to San Francisco, California. However, many of the images capture Philippine landmarks in Manila, some of which were later damaged or destroyed by the Japanese in World War II. These landmarks include the Jai Alai Building, Puerta de Parián, and Nuestra Señora de la Paz y Buen Viaje cathedral in Antipolo. There are also photographs of the Chinese Yu Tan and Paco cemeteries in Manila, the Taal Volcano, images of Igorot dancers in ceremonial dress performing for Navy personnel, an Igorot person in traditional clothing in Northern Luzon, Filipino funeral processions, street scenes capturing Filipino citizens in their daily activities, livestock, and the O'Dell home on "Radio Road" or Salamanca Drive.The depictions of daily life in pre-war Philippines in and around the naval base are described through written notes by Dorothy on the album pages. Two cabinet card portraits produced by the B.D. Garduno Studio are also included in the album along with photographs of American naval ships and military personnel. The leather album cover is embossed with two Chinese dragons with an emblazoned sphere between them and a Chinese Junk ship below. A few of the album pages appear to have missing photographs.

photCL 746

Image not available

Photograph album of individuals and groups in the Philippines

Visual Materials

A photograph album containing 12 photographs. The last page of the album has a handwritten index with descriptions of each photograph. The photographs depict "the artist" (possibly the photographer) and his home in Inga, Enrile, Cagayan, Philippines; scenes of life on Luzon Island in the Philippines including a market, students and their teacher, and women bathing; a prison yard labeled as "Fort Santiago, Manlia"; and the Pasig River in Manila. Content warning: one image depicts skeletal remains.

photCL 753

Image not available

Photograph album of Japanese American residents of California

Visual Materials

A photograph album dating from the early 1920s reflecting the life of an unidentified Japanese American family based in or near the agricultural community of Brawley, in Imperial County, California. "Brawley Bottling Works" crates are seen in an image of Japanese American farm workers, and other images include the interior of a canned goods store, agricultural workers and crops, farm trucks, and a man with plants in a greenhouse. The album contains snapshots of many different Japanese American men, women, and children, almost always dressed in fine Western clothing, seen in social gatherings in mostly rural settings, with some images of other locations. The album doesn't have any identifications, though recognizable locations in California are: the Sacramento Capitol building; the beach in Venice; a bookstore with a crate marked First Street, Los Angeles; and men posing with automobiles with license plates that say "CAL." Notable images are a group portrait of men clowning around while drinking beer, and ceremonial outdoor gatherings with American and Japanese flags flying. Photographs taken in Japan include a Christian church and school in the Tadanoumi area of Hiroshima Prefecture, and family groups with people wearing both Japanese and Western clothing.

photCL 647

Image not available

Photographic postcards of individuals and groups in the Philippines

Visual Materials

A group of 29 photographic postcards and snapshots of people and activities in the Philippines prior to World War II. There are also images of indigenous Igorot peoples at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 in Seattle, Washington, and a few photographs of Filipinos in San Francisco, including a group at the Filipino Community Methodist Church. Photographs taken in the Philippines include studio portraits (some with inscriptions in Tagalog), family groups, children, sports teams, and cock fighting. A 1945 image shows an overview of the Santo Tomas internment camp where Japanese authorities interned civilians during WWII. Some postcards have correspondence in English and were mailed to the United States. Please note that this collection contains historical images and language that library users may find harmful, offensive, or inappropriate.

photCL 739

Image not available

Photographic postcards of individuals and groups in the Philippines

Visual Materials

A group of 29 photographic postcards and snapshots of people and activities in the Philippines prior to World War II. There are also images of indigenous Igorot peoples at the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition of 1909 in Seattle, Washington, and a few photographs of Filipinos in San Francisco, including a group at the Filipino Community Methodist Church. Photographs in the Philippines include studio portraits (some with inscriptions in Tagalog), family groups, children, sports teams, and cock fighting. One 1945 image shows an overview of the Santo Tomas internment camp where Japanese authorities interned civilians during WWII. Some postcards have correspondence in English and were mailed to the United States. Please note that this collection contains historical images and language that library users may find harmful, offensive, or inappropriate.

photCL 739

Japanese occupation of Philippines photograph album

Opening Hours

Admission Info and Tickets

You might also be interested in

Photograph album of a Japanese American soldier in the U.S. occupation forces in Japan

Dorothy O'Dell Philippines photograph album

Photograph album of individuals and groups in the Philippines

Photograph album of Japanese American residents of California

Photographic postcards of individuals and groups in the Philippines

Photographic postcards of individuals and groups in the Philippines