Wikipedia:Picture peer review/Manzanar letter

Manzanar letter


Yes, it's an Ansel Adams; no, not just because of that. This was shot in 1943 at Manzanar, one of 10 concentration camps where Japanese-Americans from the western United States were compelled to relocate during World War II. One of the few ways that internees could get permission to leave the camp (and earn enough money to pay mortgages, etc.) was by volunteering for the armed forces: a service portrait, a prayer, a letter written in both English and Japanese, and an envelope with legible date stamp and address. Note the visible bolts and the seam in the cheap wall, and the handmade planter and doily. Internees had been ordered to relocate with only the property they could carry, assigned to quarters whose only furniture was a bed, and left to scrounge for anything else. The near-normality of this shot demonstrates their resourcefulness and ingenuity. Appears in War Relocation Authority.


 * Nominated by: Durova Charge! 07:43, 25 January 2008 (UTC)


 * Comments:
 * Comment A remarkable photo-- it tells a story all by itself. But I'm having trouble thinking of where it could be encyclopedic.  Spikebrennan (talk) 00:04, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I've got it at War Relocation Authority because Manzanar already has a lot of photos. And actually I first looked at this while seeking illustrative material for a new article I've been planning to write, based upon  a book called The Art of Gaman about arts and crafts from the Japanese internment camps.  The doily and planter are perfect for that, and the other elements are apt illustrations for the surrounding context.  Durova Charge! 02:06, 26 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Seconder:

