On the Nightstand
Before 'Shaft,' Gordon Parks documented the domestic front in WWII
“U.S. Camera — 1944: The U.S.A. At War”
While visiting two of my kids up north over Thanksgiving, I stopped by the used bookstore my oldest daughter manages and was perusing the World War II section while waiting for her to wrap up so we could go have dinner.
I ran across this book, and its 1945 companion. Had never even heard of them — so naturally had no choice but to get both.
They’re a bit beat up, no dust jacket, but the insides are in good shape — and the oversized format makes the photos really jump out.
There was one that really grabbed my eye — a young, African American woman welder! Given the prejudice of the day, I didn’t expect to find that photo. I didn’t expect that photo to exist.
More remarkably, when I turned the page to see who shot it, it was none other than Gordon Parks — the director of the groundbreaking 1971 film “Shaft.”
Mind you, I wasn’t sure at first it was the same Gordon Parks — but a quick search for his biography turned up the fact that he was a stateside photographer for the war effort.
There are dozens of photos in here that I hadn’t seen before — not unusual, given that tens of millions of photos were taken during World War II, and relatively few of them have ever been published. It’s a fairly unvarnished look, from Japanese Americans (and Japanese nationals) being sent to camps for the duration of the war, to a stricken American bomber in its death spiral, a German U-Boat trying to evade Allied depth charges to Gen. George Patton overseeing a battle, the photos are so stark and real that it removes any glamour from the nasty business of war.
The last 10-12 pages are advertisements for various photographic equipment — film and enlargers, developing solution and lenses. It’s a fascinating time capsule.
The Winter 2023 issue of BioSupply Trends Quarterly magazine has an article I wrote about long COVID and its relationship to other post-infection syndromes. Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control believe studies into long COVID may shed light on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and physicians who treat CFS are hoping effective treatments arise from the surge in research.
You can read the whole article at the BSTQ website.
-30-
That's some good sleuthing right there, Jim. Honest and no lie. Rockford would be proud. 👏