Oblong Elephant Folio (ca. 46 x 31.5 cm or 18 ¼ x 12 ¼ in). 65 thick black paper leaves (24 blank). Over 390 gelatin silver photographs (over 370 mounted; over 25 loosely inserted), 16 ca. 25 x 20 cm (9 ¾ x 8 in) and rest from ca. 17 x 12 (6 ¾ x 4 ¾ in) to 6.5 x 4.5 cm (2 ½ x 1 ¾ in). At least three images with period ink captions on verso. Period dark blue cloth album with generic title “Photos” and “Mr. and Mrs. William T. Smith” on cover, both gilt tooled. Mild rubbing on edges of album covers; several mounts with minor tearing on edges not affecting photos; a few photos mildly faded, up to 60 images previously removed from album, but overall a very good album of interesting photos.

An extensive and lively collection of over 390 original photographs and real photo postcards showing US military activities in the 1940s, including in the Panama Canal Zone. The compiler of the album is one William Thomas Smith (1919-1978) and his then wife Mary Louise (née Mason) (1925-?). In the early 1940s, Smith was a member of the Pistol Team for the US Secret Service Uniformed Force (White House Police). After, he was part of the Fifth Naval District Shore Patrol, a permanent shore patrol unit based at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia. It appears that at some point, Smith was stationed in the Panama Canal Zone; several photographs show Panamanian cities, military bases, and indigenous villages. Shortly after World War II, Smith became the Robersonville Police Chief, in North Carolina, where he would live until he died. (The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC), 9 Jan 1944, p. 21).

Over 180 photographs show Panama. They include a series of photos showing an inspection conducted on the U.S. Navy Shore Patrol in front of a building reading “Grace Line”; group and individual portraits of the men of Shore Patrol; photos from a banquet attended by Navy servicemen and their spouses; one photograph showing seamen on deck with equipment in front of them; an officer of the US Army Military Police with his car; and several portraits of Smith in uniform. Also included are photographs showing the Smiths’ leisure time in Panama: visiting beaches, touring indigenous villages, and taking a small boat down the Panama Canal. Over 15 photographs are portraits of indigenous Panamanians in traditional dress, mostly women and children. There are also two snapshots of Panamanian streets. 25 real photo postcards show Hotel Washington, the Edificio Arboix building, and Amador Guerrero Hospital in Colon; Cristobal High School and a clubhouse in Cristobal; the airport and Canal Administration Building in Balboa; ships transiting the Panama Canal; and parade floats from the 1946 Carnival.

There are also over 10 photographs of Smith’s military activities, likely in the continental United States. They include a series of photos of an inspection of the Fifth Naval District Shore Patrol—of note are the flags reading “Fifth Naval District Shore Patrol”—and several photographs showing “the Team” (members identified on verso) and Smith practicing at a shooting range, likely the Pistol Team.

Other photographs in the album show Smith with his friends and family and sites like Fort Raleigh on Roanoke Island, Nag’s Head, and Kitty Hawk in North Carolina.

Overall, an extensive and well-preserved collection of photographs showing the activities of a member of the US Navy Shore Patrol during World War II.