Japanese American Incarceration History Camp Livingston Louisiana Photographs and Memorabilia from World War II Detention and Training Center 1942–1944

Camp Livingston

Photograph

Camp Livingston wartime photographs and memorabilia dating from 1942 to 1944 document the complex military and civilian functions of a major U.S. Army installation in Louisiana during World War II, including the detention of individuals of Japanese ancestry following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Twenty two items preserve visual and material evidence of the camp’s dual role as an infantry training and replacement center and as a site where Japanese American civilians were confined as suspected security risks. The photographs depict U.S. soldiers stationed at the camp as well as a small group of Japanese American individuals, including a young man wearing military style dress, likely among those interned at the installation during the early wartime years.

Camp Livingston archive of photographs and memorabilia. Louisiana: Camp Livingston, 1942–1944. Twenty two items including thirteen silver gelatin photographs measuring approximately 2 x 3 inches to 3.5 x 5 inches, six real photo postcards depicting the camp grounds, two satin souvenir pillowcases, one felt pennant, and stationery from the Officers Club of the Ruston Louisiana prisoner of war camp. Photographs show soldiers performing duties around the installation including working on trucks, assembling in motorized columns, and attending religious services led by a priest who reportedly administered mass and communion to more than eight hundred men. One image depicts a soldier of the 1st Battalion 110th Infantry Regiment 28th Division standing among a line of military trucks outside the camp. The satin pillowcases feature printed imagery and slogans associated with the installation. One red pillowcase bears the words “U.S. Army” above the Great Seal of the United States with “Camp Livingston” printed below and includes a short poem addressed to “Sister.” The second gold satin pillowcase illustrates soldiers, vehicles, and weaponry with the slogan “For Freedom and Security.” The felt pennant also depicts soldiers and military equipment including antiaircraft guns, motor transports, and aircraft.

Camp Livingston operated during World War II as one of the largest infantry training centers in the southern United States and later functioned as a prisoner of war and detention facility. In the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor, federal authorities detained individuals of Japanese ancestry at several military installations, including Camp Livingston, as part of the broader wartime incarceration policies directed at Japanese Americans and other residents considered potential security threats. At the same time thousands of soldiers passed through the camp for training before deployment overseas. Units associated with the installation included elements of the 28th Infantry Division, whose soldiers later fought in major European campaigns including the Battle of the Bulge. The archive captures this intersection of wartime military training and domestic security policy on the American home front. Thirteen photographs and six postcards accompanied by three textile and paper souvenirs. Minor handling wear typical of wartime photographic and souvenir materials. Overall condition very good.

Item #20634

Price: $2,000.00