Impounded: Dorothea Lange and the Censored Images of Japanese American Internment

Anyone who had relatives affected by Executive Order 9066 knows that photographic depiction of camp life was pretty much forbidden from 1942-1944. My family collection of that time consists of my Grandfather's watercolor paintings of Amache, a family photo surreptitiously taken by a Chinese visitor in 1943 and a 1945 softball game at Topaz.

I purchased the book hoping to see additional images of Amache and Topaz, my Father's and Mother's respective camps. While I really didn't expect to see them in any of Dorothea Lange's photos, I came to realize that the pictures, absent any geographic landmarks, could easily have been taken in any of the ten camps. Some of the shots appear to have been editorially 'stylized', but I have been told that film speeds and camera shutters of the time were not conducive to candid images. It is clear that I have grown accustomed to a digital age with high resolution and strobe lights. Regardless, I very much appreciate and respect the effort undertaken in finally publishing these censored photos.

The ultimate surprise came from a non-Dorothea Lange photo at the beginning of the book. It shows a crowd of Issei and Nisei in San Francisco enroute to the Santa Anita assembly center. The photo not only shows Dorothea Lange holding a large format reflex camera in the background, it also shows my Father, Grandfather and Uncle! But for a man's fedora and a woman's hat blocking them, my Grandmother and other Uncle would also be visible.

A cropped version of the picture was shown on the front page of the April 7, 1942 edition of the San Francisco News, so it can be deduced that the photo was taken no later than April 6, 1942.

I can only hope that other Japanese American families will be able to identify significant relatives following close examination of these now un-censored photos.

The book is what I expected and I am happy with it. Even better was Amazon's handling of problems with the purchase. The book was not properly packed and had scuffing on the cover. I emailed Amazon about the problem, and they immediately put another copy of the book in the mail to me (without waiting for a return of the first) and sent a postpaid mailing label for me to use in returning the scuffy copy.

I thought it an excellent recovery from an error on their part.

David

I purchased the book based on previous photos by Dorothea Lange during the Japanese internment period in the United States. She is an excellent photographer, unfortunately the reproduction of her prints were fair in this book.

Truly marvelous photos and insightful essays combine to make real for those of us too young to remember, as well as for those who lived outside of the camps. A moving tribute to an unfortunate, if not shameful, part of American history.

As a teacher reading "Farewell To Manzanar," this book is invaluable describing the government attitude of the time. Yes it was wartime but, as Ronald Reagan said, "it was a mistake." These Lange photographs show the real hardships imposed on American citizens with no due process. They also show the courage and determination of these people. (Shikata ga nai)

The book itself is produced well with very good photo reproduction. It will be a personal favorite and a classroom resource for a long time.