Maynard Miller photograph album of occupied Japan, 1946
Navigate the Collection
Summary
- Creator:
- Miller, Maynard
- Abstract:
- Maynard Miller was an African American Staff Sergeant with the 3540th and 3524th Quartermaster Truck Company, an African American company stationed in occupied Japan in 1946. Collection consists of a large photograph album, marked "property of Staff Sergeant Maynard Miller," containing approximately 200 photographs of African American soldiers in Tokyo and other locales in occupied Japan during 1946. Most of the photographs include captions with identification, nicknames, and commentary, including G.I. humor. Several photographs depict African American soldiers with Japanese girlfriends. Other images depict Army living quarters and equipment, clubs, Hirohito's palace, zoo animals, crowds on Japanese election day, and tourist destinations in and around Tokyo. Also included in the back of the album are carbon copies of two vividly eloquent typewritten letters complaining of discrimination -- one about Senator Bilbo and "the Negro problem" in Mississippi (1 p.) and another addressed to the Commanding General, Eighth Army, complaining of discriminatory practices barring African American soldiers from using the swimming pool (3 pp.). Acquired as part of the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.
- Extent:
- 0.50 Linear Feet (1 box)
1 volume - Language:
- Material in English
- Collection ID:
- RL.00897
Background
- Scope and content:
-
Collection consists of a photograph album, marked "property of Staff Sergeant Maynard Miller" that contains approximately 200 photographs of African American soldiers in Tokyo and other locales in occupied Japan during 1946. Most of the photographs include captions with identification, nicknames, and G.I. humor. Several photographs depict African American soldiers with Japanese girlfriends. Other images depict Army living quarters and equipment, clubs, Hirohito's palace, zoo animals, crowds on Japanese election day, and tourist destinations in and around Tokyo.
Also included in the back of the album are carbon copies of two vividly eloquent letters complaining of discrimination -- one about Senator Bilbo and "the Negro problem" in Mississippi (1 p.), and another addressed to the Commanding General, Eighth Army, complaining of discriminatory practices barring African American soldiers from using the swimming pool (3 pp.).
Acquired as part of the John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture.
- Biographical / historical:
-
Maynard Miller was an African American staff sergeant with the 3540th and 3524th Quartermaster Truck Company, an African American company stationed in occupied Japan in 1946.
- Acquisition information:
- The Maynard Miller photograph album of occupied Japan was received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book Manuscript Library as a purchase in December 2009.
- Processing information:
-
Processed by Noah Huffman, December 2010
Encoded by Noah Huffman, December 2010
Accession 2009-0284 is described in this finding aid.
- Physical location:
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
- Rules or conventions:
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Subjects
Click on terms below to find related finding aids on this site. For other related materials in the Duke University Libraries, search for these terms in the Catalog.
- Subjects:
- African American soldiers -- History -- 20th century
African American soldiers -- Photographs
African Americans -- Attitudes
African Americans -- Relations with Japanese
World War, 1939-1945 -- Occupied territories
World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, African American -- Photographs
Japan -- Photographs - Format:
- Black-and-white photographs
Gelatin silver prints
Photograph albums - Names:
- John Hope Franklin Research Center for African and African American History and Culture
United States. Army -- African American officers
United States. Army -- Military life
Miller, Maynard - Places:
- United States -- Armed Forces -- African Americans -- History -- 20th century
Japan -- History -- Allied occupation, 1945-1952 -- Photographs
Tokyo (Japan) -- Photographs
United States -- Race relations
Contents
Using These Materials
- Using These Materials Links:
-
Using These Materials
- Restrictions:
-
Collection is open for research.
- Terms of access:
-
The copyright interests in this collection have not been transferred to Duke University. For more information, consult the copyright section of the Regulations and Procedures of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
- Before you visit:
- Please consult our up-to-date information for visitors page, as our services and guidelines periodically change.
- Preferred citation:
-
[Identification of item], Maynard Miller photograph album of occupied Japan, 1946,, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University