Beschreibung:

(Atomic Bomb) Archive of 13 original photographs taken by Yosuke Yamahata of Nagasaki, Japan, the day after the city was devastated by the atomic bomb dropped by the United States Author: Yamahata, Yosuke Place Published: Japan Date Published: 1945-46 Description: 13 gelatin silver photographs taken by Yosuke Yamahata on August 10, 1945, the day after the bombing. These were discovered in an album assembled by an American Military Policeman (MP) c.1945-46. There are over 200 photos of various size in the album or loose. The Yamahata images measure approx. 10x14 cm (4x5½") and have been removed from the album, with 7 matted & framed and 6 loose in sleeves. Album measures approx. 26.5x18 cm (10½x7), cloth covers, broken. A rare and important group of photographs showing the devastation of Nagasaki by the second and so far the last atomic bomb to be employed as a weapon of war, as well as the effects on the population. Yamahata, a military photographer, was on assignment near Nagasaki when the bomb dropped, and he rushed by train to the city, arriving at 3 a.m. on the day after the blast, August 10, 1945, accompanied by the correspondent Higashi and artist Yamada. He had been instructed to record the destruction for military propaganda purposes, and that day took around 119 photographs, using two cameras, sometimes taking multiple shots with both cameras, so he could select the best picture when developed. He worked from dawn to dusk, and he later said that it was hell on earth. These photographs were the only extensive record of the destruction, and on August 21st they appeared in Mainichi Shimbun, a major Japanese newspaper. Some of the photographs in the present group are of poorer quality than the others - the photographer apparently had difficulty with the shutter of one of his two cameras and the quality suffered - but this does not detract from their significance as an historical record. Some of the photographs seem to be machine made prints probably copied from images in circulation. The photographs include some of his most famous images: the Arch, the woman and child standing, woman and boy holding rice balls, also the general destruction of the city, and life going on afterwards. The Yamahata images, titles supplied, are: Nagasaki Original Photograph of a Torii Gate (framed) Nagasaki Original Photograph or a woman and boy holding rice balls (framed) Nagasaki Original Photograph of a Japanese Soldier with Child (framed) Nagasaki Original Photograph people walking through charred remains of City (framed) Nagasaki Original Photograph of Ruins (framed) Nagasaki Original Photograph of Young Men walking along train tracks (framed) Nagasaki Original Photograph of Rubble and a Horse (framed) Nagasaki Original Photograph of the Wounded (loose in sleeve) Nagasaki Original Photograph of Telephone Poles (loose in sleeve) Nagasaki Original Photograph of a Woman (loose in sleeve) Nagasaki Original Photograph of City Rooftops (loose in sleeve) Nagasaki Original Photograph of Destroyed Infrastructure (loose in sleeve) Nagasaki Original Photograph of Injured Babies (loose in sleeve) The remaining 200 or so photographs in the album or loose are primarily of military personnel and activities. They include (the numbers are approximate): 2 photographs of Eisenhower and MacArthur on Eisenhower's visit to Japan May 1946. 3 photographs of Mount Fuji, 2 from the air. A portrait of the MP who assembled the album, inscribed "Dec 1945, Osaka Japan." 161 photographs of military activity around Osaka, showing the life of the MP, jeeps, boats and military buildings, most small contact prints. 53 photographs of civilian life in the city, the streets and street sellers. 6 photographs of the bomb damage inflicted on Osaka by Allied bombing raids. Additional shipping charges may apply Condition: Some of the Yamahata images with stains, adhesion damage and/or tape residue at corners, some faded a bit; album worn and broken, images within good to very go