National Museum of American History

The current issue of Smithsonian magazine includes an article entitled 'Snapping Up The Past'. The curator is searching for casual snapshots of servicemen from earlier wars to include with the more formal war photography. She wants originals, but I'm loath to part with the original posted here. I'll send her a couple of jpgs and see if printing it out works, if she's interested.

This was my cousin, Dolph, taken in New York City, while on leave from World War II. My parents raised him from age 10 to 18. I was born the summer he left for war. He made it through the war safely, only to be killed by a drunk driver at age 26. My memories of him, of course, are dim, but I remember him as the most handsome man I'd seen and had plans to marry him when I grew up:-)


(click to see full size, as the photo above). This was my Uncle Harry, at age 19, taken during a break in action in World War I. Uncle Harry was so attractive as a boy and young man that he received the nick-name of 'pretty boy'. Ironically, he never did marry. Family lore is that the woman he loved married someone else and he could never settle for second best. He did live with someone in his later years, dying of a heart attack at age 60.

If you have photos to contribute, email the curator, Michelle Delaney at DeLaneyM@si.edu

Pris