Archive of Mexican Revolution and Border War Era Photographs

Mexican Border War, Mexican Revolution

Photo Archive

Archive of 21 photos from the Mexican Border War and Revolution era. Consists of 10 real photo postcards, 3 loose album pages containing 9 original vintage silver gelatin photographs, and 2 silver gelatin original press photos. Photos range from 3.5" x 5.25" to 6.5" x 9". The 9 album page photographs depict the heady days of the Revolution, showing a cavalry procession through the town of Torreon, which was attacked and taken by revolutionary Pancho Villa's troops in 1913, though it was taken back by federal troops several months later. The troops depicted in these album pages are labeled in one photo as "The President's Troops", so this was likely taken after the Villa faction was pushed out of Torreon. The President's troops appear disciplined, featured in tight formations, and in full uniforms, with rifles with bayonets attached and upon horseback. The cavalry procession can be seen raising their swords and blowing on trumpets as they move through the city. These album pages are captioned in English, despite being original photos from Mexico during the turbulence of the revolution. A historic press photo from this archive depicts a 1913 scene in Nogales of General Carranzas mobilizing his Constitutionalist Army to march against Victoriano Huerta during the Ten Tragic Days, a coup attempt by Huerta backed by the US and Germany against the "father of the Mexican Revolution", Francisco Madero. The series of ten real photo postcards depicts the life of troops on the American side, showing a fortification of haystacks along the Texas-Mexico border, the soldiers shooting at a rifle range, traversing and setting up camp in backcountry Texas, a field wireless outfit, and a couple grisly images of the brutality of the Mexican Revolution, with one photo of two hanged men next to a Villista soldier captioned "Familiar Scene in Mexico during the Revolution of the Past Three Years", and another of a pile of corpses on a Mexican battlefield. Another photo appears to depict General John Pershing in a grouping of Mexican and American generals. In 1916, Pershing headed the "Punitive Expedition" to capture Pancho Villa in Mexico, after Villa raided Columbus, New Mexico. American troops inflicted heavy losses on the Villistas, but did not manage to capture him. Eventually, despite having a common enemy in Villa with the Americans, the Mexican government under Carranzas grew tired of American incursions into their territory, and threatened to sever American supply lines. They even engaged at the Battle of Carrazal, where American troops were soundly defeated by Mexican federales. After this, American policy took on a much more defensive posture, with President Wilson being primarily concerned with preventing further attacks upon U.S. soil. Finally, one last photo appears to be from the 1930s, when a mob assembled enraged at the death of Mexican pilot Francisco Sarabia in a fatal crash, suspecting American sabotage. This photo shows the crowd being controlled and dispersed by armed Mexican military and police officers. This archive captures an understudied era of American and Mexican history. In very good condition.

Item #19409

Price: $2,200.00