Sylvester Thomas Blue photograph album and correspondence related to World War II in China, 1939-1945

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Summary

Creators:
Blue, Sylvester Thomas, 1919-1969
Abstract:
A photograph album and letters documenting the experiences of an American serviceman stationed in China during World War II.
Extent:
1 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sylvester Thomas Blue photograph album and correspondence related to World War II in China, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

A photograph album and letters documenting the experiences of Sylvester Thomas "Bud" Blue, a private in the United States Marine Corps, in Shanghai, China, during World War II. The album contains 127 photographs: personal snapshots, photo booth portraits, commercially-made photographs, and a few photographic postcards of Shanghai. The album has no writing and people are not identified. Subjects include American and Chinese soldiers; images of war dead and destruction in Shanghai; a military parade; portraits of American and Chinese women; and scenes of soldiers drilling and at leisure. A few images show prominent figures such as Chiang Kai-shek and Soong May-ling, and other military scenes in Shanghai. Accompanying the album are nine letters from Blue to his parents in Danville, Illinois, posted from Shanghai and elsewhere between 1939 and 1945. One letter includes a newspaper clipping noting Blue and other soldiers being sent to the Fourth Marines in China.

Biographical / historical:

Sylvester Thomas "Bud" Blue (1919-1969) served in the U.S. Marine Corps as a private and automobile mechanic in Company B First Battalion, Fourth Marines, in Shanghai, China.

Acquisition information:
Gift of Stephen Thomas Blue and Teri Lynn Blue, May 2023.
Processing information:

Processed by Suzanne Oatey in November 2023.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Sylvester Thomas Blue photograph album and correspondence related to World War II in China, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2129
reference@huntington.org
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