Nathaniel Cobb (2 results)

Condition: Very Good. First edition. Paperback. Folio. 4pp. Slight wear and creasing, otherwise very good. Annotated with prices realised.

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Oblong small quarto measuring 11" x 7". String-tied velvet over paper boards with "album" stamped in gilt on the front board. Contains 50 black and white gelatin silver photographs with hand coloring measuring between 3" x 4.5" and 5" x 6" with captions. Very good album with waviness and fading with near fine photographs. A photo album kept by American corpsman, Nathaniel Cobb, while serving with the 3rd Pursuit Squadron Air Corps in the Philippines in 1933. The photos are well-composed, many including hand coloring, and feature captions in an artistic hand. Cobb captured the daily life of the local people with images of cock fighting, farmers plowing fields, and workers transporting sugar cane. He also took beautiful photos of the tropical paradise that surrounded him including scenes of palms and sunsets over the sea. Cobb's fellow Air Corpsman are seen preparing for "maneuvers," discussing tactics, and posed by military vehicles. The culture of the island can be seen throughout the album with photos capturing a flogging, a dog being taken to market to sell, and the homes of local fisherman. One of the photos is captioned, "view of China Sea from San Fernando;" another reads, "decoration on grave All Saints Day." He photographed women at market, children posed with their mothers, and a candid scene of men "cooking chow," all with the artistic eye of someone interested in the art of photography. The final photograph shows a portrait of Cobb in 1933 posed in casual shorts outside. Cobb's squadron was stationed at Clark field during this time and was originally sent to the Philippines in 1919. According to *Combat Squadrons of the Air Force World War II*, the group was later "wiped out in the 1941-1942 Battle of the Philippines" and became inactive until the 1970s when it became the 3d Flying Training Squadron. A wonderful collection of photographs showing The Philippine Islands between wars and a corpsman's budding interest in photography while stationed there.