MenuPreliminary Inventory of the Raymond E. Casper Photographs, 1945-1946 and undated
Abstract
Raymond E. Casper was a U.S. Army major stationed in Southeast Asia during late World War II.
Collection includes slides, negatives, and prints of Southeast Asia, the majority of which appear to have been taken by Major Raymond E. Casper. The slides have not been sleeved, but each box is fairly well-labeled. Many of the prints are dated 1945-1946. The photographs are scenes of everyday life in rural and urban India. They include historical sites and palaces, archeological sites, temples, holy men, tribes, parades, farmers, beggars, snake charmers, and animals such as cows and monkeys. There is also a small number of photographs and slides of Hiroshima, Japan, following the atomic bomb in August 1945.
Descriptive Summary
- Repository
- David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University
- Creator
- Casper, Raymond E.
- Title
- Raymond E. Casper Photographs, 1945-1946 and undated
- Language of Material
- English
- Extent
- 3.0 Linear Feet, 2000 Items
- Location
- For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Collection Overview
This collection consists of photographic slides, prints, and negatives, the majority of which apppear to have been taken by Casper during his time in Southeast Asia at the end of World War II. Slides and prints are open to research; the negatives are closed to use due to preservation concerns. However, prints of the collection's negatives are available in Folder 4 of Box 1.
There are over 1300 slides in this collection, the vast majority being from India. Some include captions, but there are very few dates. The collection includes both black-and-white and color slides. The black-and-white slides correspond to the collection's prints and negatives. The color slides, although they appear to be amateur photography, do not appear to have correlating prints. It is not clear if all slides were taken by Casper, or if some were acquired as souvenirs during or after his travels.
The photographic prints are entirely black-and-white photography, ranging in size between 2x3 to 5x7 inches. They are in good condition, many including Casper's captions with comments, locations, and dates for the image.
The images in the collection consist largely of scenes from rural and urban life in Southeast Asia in the mid-1940s. Locations represented include the Karachi Air Base in Pakistan; Lalmonirhat, Bangladesh; Agra, Cooch Behar (Koch Bihar), Calcutta, Hyderabad, and Delhi, India; and Hiroshima, Japan. Includes at least two photographs of Mohatma Gandhi. Other notable scenes include holy men and priests; Hindu iconography and gods; temples and historic sites, including the Taj Mahal and the Jain temple in Calcutta; and archeological sites. Street scenes of everyday people include images of beggars, a leper colony, street doctors and dentists, farmers, water-carriers, snake charmers, launderers, barbers, rickshaws, and policemen. Also includes images of military bases and soldiers, including many images of Casper. Practices that are heavily documented include burning ghats, fuel production from cow manure, and funeral rites. There is also a small amount of photographs from Hiroshima, Japan, showing the devestation of the city following the atomic bomb.
A small amount of slides are clearly from a different period of Casper's life. They are in color and have images of a family touring various landmarks in the Eastern United States, including Washington D.C., Luray Caverns, and other historic sites in Virginia. These images are undated.
Administrative Information
Collections are on the move for the renovation of the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library. Contact Rubenstein Library staff before visiting. Read More »
Access Restrictions
Collection is restricted. Original negatives are CLOSED to use.
In addition, patrons must sign the Acknowledgment of Legal Responsibility and Privacy Rights form before using this collection.
Also, all or portions of this collection may be housed off-site in Duke University's Library Service Center. Consequently, there may be a 24-hour delay in obtaining these materials.
Please contact Research Services staff before visiting the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library to use this collection.
Use Restrictions
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.
Contents of the Collection
Browse List of Series
Collapse All
Expand AllSlides and prints, 1945-1946 and undated
Prints from some of the collection's negatives are available in Folder 4. (The negatives are closed to use.)
Negatives, 1945-1946
17 uncut 35 mm film rolls as well as individual negatives ranging in size from 2x3 to 4x6 inches, with images from Southeast Asia. Many of the negatives that have been sleeved have corresponding prints in Folder 4 of Box 1.
This box is CLOSED to use.
Historical Note
Raymond E. Casper was a U.S. Army officer stationed in Southeast Asia in 1945 through at least 1946. He retired with the rank of captain in 1947.
Subject Headings
- Casper, Raymond E.
- Gandhi, Mahatma--1869-1948.
- Agricultural wastes as fuel--India--Pictorial works.
- Airmen--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Barbering--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Basket makers--Pictorial works.
- Beggars--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Camels--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Cows--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Hindu funeral rites and ceremonies--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Leprosy--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Snake charmers--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Tea gardens--Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Hiroshima-shi (Japan)--Bombardment, 1945--Pictorial works.
- Taj Mahal (Agra, India)
- Agra (India)--Pictorial works.
- La¯lmonirha¯t District (Bangladesh)
- Southeast Asia--Pictorial works.
- Karachi (Pakistan)--Air bases--Pictorial works.
- Calcutta (India)--Pictorial works.
- Hyderabad (India)--Pictorial works.
- Koch Bihar (India : District)--Pictorial works.
- Washington (D.C.)--Pictorial works.
- Luray Caverns (Va.)--Pictorial works.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Raymond E. Casper Photographs, David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Duke University.
Provenance
The Raymond E. Casper Photographs were received by the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book & Manuscript Library as a gift in 1985.
Processing Information
Processed by Meghan Lyon, July 2011
Encoded by Meghan Lyon, July 2011
Accession(s) described in this finding aid: 2011-0151
This collection is minimally processed: materials may not have been ordered and described beyond their original condition.
Descriptive sources and standards used to create this inventory: DACS, EAD, NCEAD guidelines, and local Style Guide.
This finding aid is NCEAD compliant.