Jump to Content

Collection Guide
Collection Title:
Collection Number:
Get Items:
Finding Aid for the Ted Gilien Photographs of postwar Japan and the Philippines, ca. 1945-1946
1924  
View entire collection guide What's This?
Search this collection
Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Descriptive Summary
  • Administrative Information
  • Chronology
  • Scope and Content
  • Organization and Arrangement
  • Indexing Terms

  • Descriptive Summary

    Title: Ted Gilien Photographs of postwar Japan and the Philippines
    Date (inclusive): ca. 1945-1946
    Collection number: 1924
    Creator: Gilien, Ted.
    Extent: 2 boxes (0.8 linear ft.)
    Abstract: This collection contains approximately 500 photographs taken by combat artist and painter Ted Gilian ca. 1945-1946 documenting war destruction in Japan and the Philippines. He later used many of the photographs as source materials for his paintings.
    Language: Finding aid is written in English.
    Language of the Material: Materials are in English.
    Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library Special Collections.
    Los Angeles, California 90095-1575
    Physical location: Stored off-site at SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.

    Administrative Information

    Restrictions on Access

    Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library Special Collections for paging information.

    Restrictions on Use and Reproduction

    Property rights to the physical object belong to the UC Regents. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where The UC Regents do not hold the copyright.

    Provenance/Source of Acquisition

    Gift of Jeremy Gilien, Ted Gilien's son, 2010.

    Processing Note

    Processed by Lesley Ragsdale March 2012, with assistance from Kelley Bachli and Lilace Hatayama.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Ted Gilien Photographs of postwar Japan and the Philippines (Collection 1924). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library, UCLA.

    UCLA Catalog Record ID

    UCLA Catalog Record ID: 7047179 
    1914 March 17 Ted Gilien born in Brooklyn, New York
    1932-1933 Attended the Art Students League and the National Academy of Art in New York City
    1934-1938 Participated in the Federal Arts Project as a mural and easel painter
    1939 Painted a post office mural in Lees Summit, Missouri
    1940-1942 Employed as a shipyard worker in San Pedro, California
    1942-1946 Served as a combat artist with the US military and covered areas of Japan decimated by atomic bombs as well as the Philippines
    1946-1965 Displayed artwork at 20 one-man shows on the West Coast
    1951 Published the Price, a collection of 50 anti-war paintings and drawings
    1954 Held show in New York at Associated American Artists
    1949-1960 Published a Visual History of the Maccabees, comprised of 180 paintings and drawings
    1932-1965 Exhibited at over 500 shows, represented in more than 400 private and public collections, and received 26 major awards
    1946-1965 Taught at Chouinard, Kann, Palos Verdes, Westside Jewish, Pasadena Community Center, and the University of Judaism
    1963 Featured in American Artist magazine
    1965-? Exhibited one man shows at the International Design Center in LA, the LA Sports Arena, the Inheritance Gallery, and the Renaissance Gallery in Beverly Hills
    1965 Awarded first prize at the California State Fair
    1967 March 11 Died in Los Angeles

    Scope and Content

    The collection contains approximately 500 black and white photographs taken ca. 1945-1946 in Japan and the Philippines. The photographs document the destruction caused by the atomic bomb in Nagasaki including the ruins of the Urakami Cathedral. Along with significant photographs depicting building destruction, many images depict Japanese citizens clearing rubble, living in the streets in makeshift camps, or moving bundled belongings by any means available. The photographs also include images of ruined Japanese boats, ships, and military planes. A few photographs depict crowds at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo as well as kabuki theatre. The collection also contains photographs of US GIs serving in Japan. Photographs from the Philippines focus on images of citizens living in rough and meager conditions.

    Organization and Arrangement

    The collection is arranged into the following series:
    1. Nagasaki destruction
    2. Urakami Cathedral destruction
    3. Planes and ships
    4. Street scenes
    5. Clearing rubble
    6. Men and crowds
    7. Children
    8. Girls
    9. Kabuki
    10. Tokyo Imperial Palace
    11. US GIs
    12. Philippines

    Indexing Terms

    The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

    Subjects

    Gilien, Ted, 1914-1967 --Archives.
    Photographers --United States --Archival resources.