[Photo Album]: St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Verlag: St. Thomas, Virgin Island, 1924

Beschreibung

Oblong small quarto measuring 11" x 7". String-tied black cloth over paper boards with "Baby's Book" stamped in guilt on the front board. Contains 84 sepia-toned or black and white gelatin silver photographs measuring between 2" x 3" and 5" x 7" and two postcards without captions. The album is near fine with some edgewear and age-toning and near fine photographs with some fading. A photo album kept by an American stationed at the U.S. Naval base in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands between 1917 and 1924. The album details daily life at the base. The photos document the results of a hurricane with images of the ruins of houses and people standing amongst the debris. Also featured are the indigenous people of the island at work and in thatched huts. One photo shows a group of native people in a group dancing. The landscape of the island as well as its native animals can be seen throughout the album with photos taken of small cities and beaches. A laid in photograph shows a night scene of a beach and is captioned "Hayti" on the verso, presumably taken on a trip to the neighboring island. The Americans on the island are also depict in their leisure activities which included tennis and trips to the beaches. A few photos show a large group of women posing at a garden party. There are photos from the naval base featuring lines of men in starch white uniforms standing at attention, and of the ships around the island. The earliest images of naval cadets and officers were most likely showing training for the First World War. In 1917 the United States purchased the island from the Danish government for $25 million in gold and it was meant to be used in World War I as part of a defensive strategy. The U.S. feared that the Germans would obtain the island to set up a naval base closer to North America. A new flag was designed and the inhabitants of St. Thomas were given U.S. citizenship. An interesting collection of snapshots from the early days of the United States Navy in St. Thomas. Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 403496

Bibliografische Details

Titel: [Photo Album]: St. Thomas, Virgin Islands

Verlag: St. Thomas, Virgin Island

Erscheinungsdatum: 1924

Einband: Softcover

Zustand: Near Fine