McBlain Books

Two Company Group Photographs in Karachi and Burma. [our title]

[Photographs]

1928. Company not identified. Includes: (1) "Karachi Office Force, Retirement of Mr. Duncan, June 1, 1928". (About 80 people including 6 wives and 7 children, in an outdoor setting, with trees in the background) Approx. 26.5 x 35.5cm. Two vertical creases. Minor foxing and chipping. Mounted on a piece of light-colored card stock, approx. 30 x 45cm.; and (2) Untitled and undated group of 26 men, seated on steps and boxes in front of a large corrugated metal building. A big "1" and a "No Smoking" sign visible on the side of the building. 24 x 28.5cm. Mounted on green bordered card from which the top 3cm. has been roughly cut. Light foxing on the card which doesn't affect the photo. Printed on a bottom corner of the card: M. Y. Asahi, Rangoon. Both photos clear with excellent detail. All of the men in the Rangoon photo and 39 of the people in the Karachi photo have numbers inked on their images which refer to notes inked in the margins identifying them by (in most cases) name, ethnicity, and position in the company. For instance, Mr. Duncan is identified as a "Scotch accountant" and another man as a "Eurasian Head Clerk". Americans are identified by state, making us suspect that this may have been an American business. The same man, identified R. P. Pollard, has the honor of being No. 1 in both photos, making it likely that the photos were annotated by him. He is identified as from VT in one of the margins. There appears to be no other overlap of people between the two photos. The boxes, on which some of the men are sitting in the Burma photo, have "Devoe's Imperial Brilliant Oil Patent Cans" printed on the sides. Good. Item #56950

Price: $100.00