Wikipedia and the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit

[libertango]

I've been editing Wikipedia a lot, lately, with an eye to taking a full swing at the article on Edward Steichen. (I've written the lead paragraph there, and assembled the Gallery, but... What was the middle part, again?)

As part of that, I've created my first article from scratch, about the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit that Steichen commanded during WWII. I think it's turned out fairly well -- sourced, neutral, a Gallery of representative photos... not bad for a brand new article.

Anyway... I thought some of you might have an interest. (as he looked at pecunium)

Comments

[kate-schaefer.livejournal.com]

I like the article.

Lt. Wayne Miller is my great-uncle. He is a fabulous old guy. The children wandering through the exhibit in the appendix to the first edition of the catalog of The Family of Man are my mother's cousins.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

Well, that definitely chalks one up in the small world dept.

Miller stands out for me because he's one of the Original Six who don't have his own WP article. However someone's been very diligent about uploading those lovely public domain Navy photos to the Wikimedia Commons, so I was glad to include one of his pics in the gallery.

I may try to see if I can find enough secondary sources on him to get him his own article. Not that I'd recommend someone holding their breath, given how long it takes me to do things...

Anyway. Thanks. I'm glad to shout out the service of all of those guys.

[holyoutlaw.livejournal.com]

I'm really surprised he doesn't have a Wikipedia article.

I have one of his books, Chicago's South Side 1946-1948, (so does Kate) and a glance at Powell's shows me there's another: Wayne F. Miller: Photographs 1942-1958, which I'll have within 4-9 business days. ;>

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

No, the one Wayne Miller they have is G. Wayne Miller, a writer and film maker from Boston, born in 1954. Presumably, that ain't the guy. On top of that, he appears to have been editing the article about himself, which is a cultural no-no in that space. (At least, without secondary citation, and even then...)

And if I've generated interest in one of Steichen's guys, no matter how glancingly, I call that a win. :)

Wayne Miller and the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit in Guam

[(Anonymous)]

Hello Kate,

My name is Torin Boyd and I am a long time photojournalist based out of Japan. I am also a photo historian and collector and I just acquired a group of prints taken in Guam in March 1945 that were taken by the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit.

These photographs are so beautiful and I think they are either by the grand 'ol Steichen himself (who was in Guam in March 1945), or by Horace Bristol, Wayne Miller of Fenno Jacobs who were all passing through Guam at that same time.

These photographs are not your normal military photographs and really jump out at you. Unfortunately they are only credited to the US Navy.

I have met your uncle Wayne Miller here in Tokyo when he did a show and lecture about eight years ago. Perhaps if I was able to contact him he could easily attribute the photographer?

Thanks for you help.

Kind regards,

Torin Boyd
http://www.torinboyd.com
Photoshelter website: http://torinboyd.photoshelter.com/

Naval Aviation Photographic Unit in Guam

[(Anonymous)]

Hello Hal,

My name is Torin Boyd and I am a long time photojournalist based out of Japan. I am also a photo historian and collector and I just acquired a group of prints taken in Guam in March 1945 that were taken by the Naval Aviation Photographic Unit.

These photographs are so beautiful and I think they are either by the grand 'ol Steichen himself (who was in Guam in March 1945), or by Horace Bristol, Wayne Miller of Fenno Jacobs who were all passing through Guam at that same time.

These photographs are not your normal military photographs and really jump out at you. Unfortunately they are only credited to the US Navy. Would you care to take a look at them, or do you know anyone who better knows the work of this elite photo unit?

I have met Wayne Miller here in Tokyo when he did a show and lecture about eight years ago. Perhaps if I was able to contact him he could easily attribute the photographer?

Thanks for you help.

Kind regards,

Torin Boyd
http://www.torinboyd.com
Photoshelter website: http://torinboyd.photoshelter.com/

Re: Naval Aviation Photographic Unit in Guam

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

Hello, Torin.

I don't think I have the expertise for what you're trying to do.

For the kind of identification you're talking about, I think the top two experts would be Christopher Phillips, who wrote Steichen at War, and Mark D. Faram, who wrote Faces of War.

Phillips appears to be on the faculty of the International Center of Photography in NY. You can learn more about ICP at: http://www.icp.org/

Faram has his own website -- http://www.markfaram.com/ -- but much of it seems static and not linked to anything (even internally). The WHOIS record for the domain doesn't yield anything useful. Still, it appears Faram is on Twitter -- http://twitter.com/scribe4squids . The balance for that is, he doesn't appear to have posted since mid-January.

I hope this at least provides a start for you, and wish you the best of luck. If you ever have any scans I can see, I'd be grateful for the chance.