Sizable Korean & Vietnam War-Era Photograph & Ephemera Collection, 140+ Pcs

A large collection of photographs, letters, holiday cards, newspaper articles, and other ephemera from American servicemen serving in South Korea and Vietnam, ca. 1950-1979. The 130 or so photographs date from the Korean War (1950-1953) and the Vietnam War (1955-1975), and include rarely photographed subjects, such as African American servicemen. The overwhelming majority are vintage photographs, with nearly half annotated, and with about 20% bearing some sort of stamp including press attributions. The archive also includes two original letters and a smattering of holiday cards, liberty passes, weapons receipts, and other war-related miscellany. Very good to near fine condition. Currently stored in a white three-ring binder measuring 10.5" x 11.75" x 1.75."

The lot is comprised of:

1. Approximately 130 photographs with the following estimated breakdown: inscribed photos (58); stamped photos (25); uninscribed or blank photos (36); and modern reprints (11).

This incredible photograph archive depicts every imaginable subject one might expect to find from such a collection, from the military conflict at hand (firing bombs, military equipment, radio stations, barracks, refugees, war dead, etc.) to human interest and cultural history (fooling around with war buddies, attending shows, fraternizing with "moose," the pejorative G.I. slang for Asian prostitutes, etc.) About 17 of these photos depict black service men.

Who were Franklin O. Brannan, Michael O. Johnson, Lowell E. Thompson, Fred Thatcher, Don Long, Bill McCoy, Lee Jae Wook, and the Kim Sisters, all noted in the archive? Just a few of the mysteries contained within, waiting to be unraveled.

Some of the photographs are Kodachrome and Kodacolor prints. Stamped photographs carry U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, AP Wire, or private photographer's marks. Exhibiting expected wear, including toning, curling, etc., else very good to near fine. The smallest photographs measure 3" x 4" while the largest measure 7" x 5.125."

Some representative captions found in the archive include:

- "In this picture is the other Korean who is also a pretty nice guy. The colored fellow is also from [our] hooch [small house]…"

- "These are Korean moose [derogatory term for Asian women-for-hire] they do anything for money. The big one is there mother and she sells them off."

- "Honey this is my friend Lee Jae Wook [Wook's name written in Korean characters] (his name in Korean) He works for the U.S. Army for .70 cents a month. Im not lying thats the truth."

- "Just goofing off again. I almost did stick him with it [a gun]…"

The photographs can be linked to the following locations in South Korea through handwritten captions:

- Chang-dong (written as "Changdong"), located near Seoul.

- Cheorwon (written as "Chorwon" and "West Chorwon"), located in the northeast corner near the North Korean border.

- Chuncheon (written as "Chunchon"), located in the northeast corner near the North Korean border.

- Toksan-ni (written as "Tok san-ni"), located approximately 100 miles northeast of Seoul.

- Yeoncheon (written as "Yonchon"), located in the northwest corner near the North Korean border.

- Yeongdeungpo (written as "Yongdung-po"), located near Seoul.

2. Ephemera and miscellany, including:

- six brightly colored holiday cards, one filled out and the rest blank. Associations with the 45th Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, nicknamed the "Thunderbirds."

- two letters, dated June 21, 1952 (on suggestive U.S. Navy pinup stationery) and December 16, 1952 respectively, along with transmittal envelopes.

- three cards and passes (liberty pass, press pass, weapons receipt), etc.

- two newspaper articles.

The archive, just briefly described here and with highlighted pictures above, merits HOURS of future research.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE!