Hardcover
Hardcover. Very Good. The watercolors are marvelous and make this a truly special photo album. The artwork was done by someone we presume an amateur, albeit a gifted one. These illustrations depict a volcano, a peeping Tom, many swimmers, divers and other waterside scenes, including a depictiion of a mermaid, firefighters, a man astride a water buffalo, a New Year's celebration, a fort and lighthouse, a camel in the desert, monkeys climbing a palm tree, apartment buildings, etc.. Generally there is a loose, and sometimes tighter, relation between the painting and the photos mounted on the particular leaf, and resulting is a satisfying artistic cohesion to the whole. The connection between the painting and the photos on the same page can be playful. Thus on a page of photos showing the subjects in swimming suits, and two photos of a threesome so clad, we have a painting of a man looking through binoculars at a threesome. In the painting they are shown, though, as if they are images in the lens, with light fanning out from the viewer in a widening cone of light. In terms of the photos, they are concentrated on a small circle of friends and relatives. Also unifying the watercolors is a palette. The artist used a wide range of colors, yet the figures have some of the aura of silhouettes, and the paintings are somehow both quite detailed yet a touch abstract in their composition. The compiler was probably an American stationed in the Philippines. His friends included Filipinos, as well as his girlfriend, or perhaps, wife. N.d., circa 1940. Oblong, 22 by 31 cm. 40 leaves, with photos and surrounding watercolors only on rectos. 3 to 10 photos per page, for a total of 227 photos. Condition: One photo is missing, and one is loose (and not from the slot with the missing photo). Probably one leaf was removed, based on two tissue guards back to back, not affecting the overall tenor and completeness of the album. Album cover had fabric pastedowns and a striped design. With thick string ties for the binding. Leather clasp mostly perished.
(Inventory #: 006278)