Between the Covers

Softcover. Oblong octavo. Measuring 6¾” x 10¾”. String-tied limp suede Army-themed front cover and particle board rear cover. 58 gelatin silver photographs inserted into corner mounts rectos only; an additional 8 photos and 11 pieces of ephemera laid in. Most are photo booth images measuring between 2¼” x 1½” to 3½” x 2½”, approximately 15-20 are larger. Album very good, moderately worn; photos generally very good or better, a few torn or with surface abrasions, a few loose from mounts and a few are damaged.

An album consisting mostly of photo booth portraits of African-Americans, probably mostly from in and around Marshall, Texas. While only three of the photos are identified, many of the items of ephemera relate to Freddie B. Cooper who lived in Marshall at the time of his enlistment in World War II. Marshall was a hotbed of civil rights' activity in Texas from the late 1940s through the 1970s.

The portraits includes several black soldiers and there's a great shot of an African-American soldier flanked by two Japanese women.
The ephemera include several holograph letters to Freddie from family in Marshall as well as a mimeographed Navy ship's newspaper. There's also a manuscript copy of Thyr Bird's *93rd Division Psalms*, a parody of the 23rd Psalm expressing life in the segregated unit during his training in Louisiana.

Item #411879