Ansel Adams’s Photographs of Japanese-American Internment
During World War II, over 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned in ten different concentration camps within the United States. Manzanar Relocation Center, California, was the first of these camps. In 1943, Ansel Adams, America’s most famous photographer, visited Manazar and took these photos.
Adams said: “The purpose of my work was to show how these people, suffering under a great injustice, and loss of property, businesses and professions, had overcome the sense of defeat and dispair [sic] by building for themselves a vital community in an arid (but magnificent) environment…All in all, I think this Manzanar Collection is an important historical document, and I trust it can be put to good use.”
All of these photographs, and more, can be found on website of The Library of Congress.
Manzanar is now a National Historic Site.
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I had no idea that Ansel Adams photographed anything other than landscapes!
A concentration camp by any other name is still the same, God forgive us for we knew not of our sins being put upon those innocent people! Many an innocent has paid an inhumane price for the ignorance of a panic overwhelmed mankind doing something out of desperation, instead of nothing. And to what end? Hatred begets hatred and pain encourages more suffering. Thank you Ansel Adams for documenting one of mans major errors with dignity so that future generations may hopefully not repeat these war crimes upon thy neighbors! Peace, Peace, Peace be unto us and unto all living beings, Amen!
Our children were young, early in grade school, when we first took them to visit Manzanar… We walked it, talked about what happened there and why, and I believe it made a very lasting impression upon them. The inhumanities that some people perpetrate on others are horrible, and continue today, both here and throughout the world. We still haven’t learned, but we still must keep trying.
Thanks for such a wonderful and necessary site. I never knew Ansel Adams photographed the internment camps. I’ve shared these pictures with my friends and family.
Ansel Adams’d photographes of the internment camps are wonderful.
He was invited to the camp from his friend who was the director of the camp.The reason th erector invited Adams to the camp was a Japanese photographer, Toyo Miyatake who was an internee at Manzanar. Adams built a friendship with Toyo Miyatake after he visited the camp. Toyo also left many great pectures.
If you are interestead in more about his photos and internment camp, there is a great documentary movie, “TOYO’S CAMERA”
You can watch their photos on the big screen. The film showing event will be held on April 17th and 18th, 2010 in San Jose. Come and watch it!
“Toyo’s Camera”
April 17 11:00 am / 2:00 pm
April 18 1:30 pm
Theater: Camera 12 Cinemas
201 S. Second St, San Jose (San Jose Downtown)
Tickets:
http://www.cameracinemas.com