Loose photographs in box, images measuring 5 x 7 inches. 251 Half-Tone images, generally fine condition, box torn with missing p
1905 · San Francisco
by [Philippine-American War - Photography] Givens, James D.; Rockett, Perley Fremont
San Francisco, 1905. Loose photographs in box, images measuring 5 x 7 inches. 251 Half-Tone images, generally fine condition, box torn with missing panel. Fine images and good-only box. Fine. James D. Givens had a studio in San Francisco's Presidio for many years, and traveled to the Philippines in 1903 on an Army transport ship, where he took photographs of the Philippine-American War. This collection, with Givens' studio's imprint on the box, contains a mix of Givens work as well as many photographs by Perley Fremont Rockett, and many photographs by uncredited photographers, copied and sold by Givens without attribution. According to an article in the Spring, 2002 issue of Prologue, Givens would publish several different later books claiming credit for other photographers' work. This collection - of which we find no record, save for a similar assemblage with a different title housed at Stanford - seems to be earlier, likely pre-1905. Despite the title on the box, all but a couple of images show the Philippines. The numbering system at work in the photographs is inconsistent, with some of Givens' images having their own numbering system different from the typed captions, and Rockett's images with different numbers in the negative. This collection contains 251 images, whereas Stanford's contains only 229, though due to the numbering inconsistencies we cannot collate for completeness. Regardless, a rare and interesting collection of images of the conflict, with the violence on graphic display and many images showing domestic Filipino scenes.
(Inventory #: List2445)