This slim photo has been cut down from a larger photo. There is some writing on the back, but like the picture itself, some of it has been lost to the scissors. "Dec. 20/4." So, from the 1940s. And, "Taken in Ge." Perhaps Germany and a soldier on occupation duty. Or, then again, maybe Georgia, though there isn't that much snow in Georgia.
There's no name or date on this portrait, but because of the sepia style, I'm guessing it's from the World War 2 era. Anytime I see a war era, any war, photo of a soldier, I always wonder if they came back. And not just alive. Did they come back physically and emotionally whole?
It doesn't really read on the scan, but there's an embossed credit on the lower right corner. "Portraits by White, CAMP BLANDING, FLORIDA." Stamped on the back, "FROM WHITES PHOTO STUDIO MAIN P.X. CAMP BLANDING, FLA."
There's a fair amount about the history of Camp Blanding online. I'm not going into a great deal of detail, but an overview. Camp Blanding opened in 1939 as the main training center for the Florida National Guard. During World War 2, Camp Blanding was used for the training of nine different infantry divisions, as well as one parachute division. It was also a POW camp for captured German soldiers. For a while, there were so many soldiers stationed at Camp Blanding that it was the fourth-largest city in the state, with over 10,000 buildings and 125 miles of paved roads. I wasn't able to find anything about White's Photo Studio. My best guess is that he was a professional studio photographer in nearby Starke, Florida.
This is another of those throw-in photos that I end up with when I buy an envelope of photos and get a few that I'd never buy individually. Anyway, as a former professional black & white printer it interests me a bit. There's clearly detail in the subject's uniform and face, but whoever printed this didn't expose for what's really important.
I recently purchased an envelope full of snapshots from an eBay seller in Japan. They may be random, or they may all be from the same family. I just don't know. Anyway, I'm still figuring out how I'm going to post them and in what order. The only thing I'm sure of is that those photos with writing on the back will be placed in a single posting. I don't speak Japanese, and I can't really use Google Translate, so if someone out there speaks and reads Japanese, a translation would be welcome. Just knowing that I've got it right side up would also be helpful. Click on Random Japanese snapshots collection in labels to see what's been published. More to come.
