Wonderful colorized original photograph of an African American WWII pilot. The handsome younger man is clad in his wool-lined pilot jacket and issue crush cap. While we do not yet know his exact identity, he did inscribe the photo as follows:

To a sweet and lovely young lady with a demure personality. With all my love and affection, Joe.

A second inscription reads:

To a sweet and lovely mother, your son, Junior.

The Army Air Forces established several African American organizations, including fighter and bombardment groups and squadrons. Between 1941 and 1946, roughly 1,000 black pilots were trained at a segregated air base in Tuskegee, AL. These men are remembered as the Tuskegee Airmen, and it is likely the subject of this photo was counted amongst their number. The photo itself is in good condition, with some creasing that does not impact the subject. More research may uncover this man’s identity.


[African-American History, Slave, Slavery, Abolition, Abolitionist, Emancipation Proclamation, Abraham Lincoln, Civil War, Union, Confederate, Document, Letter] [Civil Rights, Martin Luther King Jr.] [Paper Ephemera] [Spanish American War, Span Am, World War One, World War 1, WW1, World War Two, World War II, WW2]