New Japan Slides Collection

The UW-P Library has received a donation of color slides of post-war Japan

Published: December 4, 2014
Calling all Japan specialists! The Library at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside has received a generous donation of 260 beautiful, color slides of 1950s Japan, and they are now free to view online.

The photographer, U.S. Army non-commissioned officer Charles Nicholas Johnson (1923-2005), was stationed in Tokyo from fall 1954 to September 1957, during which time he took hundreds of color photos. They feature streetscapes, landscapes, shops, festivals, vehicles, people, objects, artwork, cultural landmarks, and more. 

The slides were painstakingly cleaned and digitally scanned. Some photos were identified with the help of UW-P History professor, Dr. Jeffrey Alexander. More help was needed to identify the vast set. Dr. Alexander called upon assistance around the globe through a series of professional organizations that he is a part of. 

In less than a day, the Library's digital collections jumped dramatically, and has received input from scholars and diplomats around the world, including the former Canadian Ambassador to Japan, Joseph Caron, and professors of Japan studies at Ivy League universities. 

This new collection gives our Library added prestige as a digital resource for researchers worldwide. Credit goes to Dr. Alexander for assisting in identification of the images, UW-P Digital Initiatives Librarian, Melissa Olson, and the rest of the team in the Archives and Area Research Center. 

To view the collection, please visit the UW-Parkside Digital Archives page

The collection home page can be found in this Archives section. 
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