13. 1941: Harvey Lynn is name of the farmer on the left. I went to school in a one-room school house in Farmington, Missouri with his son. I came back ten years later to take this photograph; they knew me well and were completely at ease even though I was holding a camera the size of a Speedgraphic. I consider this a classic of my work, and I wouldn't take it any differently today. MSA SC 1890-41-10,013

14. 1942: Wally Simmons and I used to go out on Sunday mornings looking for things to photograph. I shot this one from the railroad trestle on the levy in St. Louis. I thought this man walking on the cobblestones with the cross-lighting made a nice pattern. Now I think it's a cliched subject, but it's hard to dislike -- it's like a motherhood picture. This and the picture of the three black boys (1) were my first pictures to hang in a salon. MSA SC 1890-41-10,024
 

15. 1942: Tyre Blue was a stream about a mile behind our farm and Alice Wisman was my girlfriend at the time. Even then I preferred to photograph people in action rather than in formal poses. I like the backlighting here, and the splash of water, and her swinging arm. Unfortunately, I overdeveloped the negative and now it's difficult to get a good print. MSA SC 1890-41-10,017
 
 

16. Summer 1943: This is a view from the top of the Washington Monument looking toward the northeast. I shot 360 degrees that day because it was so clear. My wife says that if there's a high spot anywhere around, I'll get on it to take pictures. It's sort of surprising that I was allowed to make these pictures since it was during wartime. MSA SC 1890-30-10,037

17. 1943 circa: After living in St. Louis, I really used to enjoy wandering around Washington with my camera because there were so many dramatic buildings. Even though it's rather dated, this view of the Supreme Court hasn't changed much, so I still can still sell it occasionally as a stock photograph. MSA SC 1890-30-10,204

18. 1944: Although I had no formal training in portraiture until after the war, my primary assignment in the Navy was to do portraits of celebrities, officers, and war heroes. One of the most famous was Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., who arrived back from active duty looking very gaunt and preoccupied. I set up the lights and got him arranged, but he must have realized I was a little worried because he said, "What's wrong, young man?" And I responded, "You don't look like the Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. I know from the movies," with which he broke into this wonderful smile and I snapped the shutter. It's the only time I shot an officer grinning from ear to ear. MSA SC 1890-43-10,028

19. 1945: I was part of a crew sent out to Bethesda Naval Hospital to do a story on WAVES who were hospital corpsmen. We didn't have any light meters, so we had to calculate the flash exposures in our heads. I like the way this one came out strongly backlighted, and the way only half of her eye is showing. It adds to the intensity of the action. I used the same principle years later when I made a series of portraits of scientists at Westinghouse. MSA SC 1890-43-10,036

20. November 7, 1945: I took this view of the New York skyline from the Staten Island ferry. I was headed out to board the aircraft carrier Lake Champlain to go to Europe so I could get in my sea duty before I left the Navy. I couldn't have arranged the birds better, and it was fortunate to have the launch following us to add another plane of dimension to the picture. Mary was with me when I made this one. ["It was swell you could get aboard my ship," he wrote to her from shipboard. "I enjoyed the day--as much as I could knowing I was to leave you for so long."] MSA SC 1890-46-10,084

21. November 8, 1945: As we left New York harbor, the Europa was returning from a test run. My camera for the trip was a Rolliflex with an 80mm lens, so I just barely was able to fit the whole ship in the picture. I was on the admiral's bridge when I took this, which was easily accomplished since there was no admiral on board. The purpose of the trip was to photograph troops as they were being loaded on ships to return home after the war. MSA SC 1890-47-10,071

22. November 1945: I've never printed this negative before. That's Mt.Vesuvius, 25 miles south of Naples--the first stop on our tour of Europe. ["Sunday morn we went into town, I sent you a wire first thing and saw a few more sights," he wrote to Mary. "I went by myself because I knew I could see more that I wanted to see. I did. I climbed the mountain and saw the town from above. It is a different city from above. In fact, it is a different city on top of the mountain, much cleaner and a better class of people."] MSA SC 1890-44-10,063

23. November 1945: We were in Paris on Thanksgiving and the day after. It was foggy the whole time, so I made very few photographs. I wanted to get a shot of the Eiffel Tower but it was hopeless, so I got this view instead. I like the way the receding planes in the fog create a mood that makes it work. The people give a sense of scale so that you get an idea of the whole without really seeing it. MSA SC 1890-45-10,068

24. 1949: This was my aunt, Edna Warren. I lived with her from the time I was twelve years old until I joined the Navy. She had a greater influence on me than anyone, and I like to think this picture shows her for the honest, gentle person she was. People you know best are always the hardest ones to photograph. This portrait was made after I had my formal training at Harris & Ewing Studios following the war. You can see how I arranged her arms into a graceful position to give a circular effect to emphasize her face. MSA SC 1890-47-10,200A