Quarto album (22,7x15,2 cm). 58 paper leaves (38 blank). With 39 mounted original gelatin silver photographs from ca. 14,8x8,9 cm (5 ¾ x 3 ½ in) to 11,5x6,9 cm (4 ½ x 2 ¾ in); with a sealed envelope “Charles Chandler. Life Scout Award. Glendale #1 – Dana” pasted in and two identical printed memorial programs titled “Celebrating the Life of Edwin George Chandler, March 7, 1927 – May 12, 1998. [St. Jude's Episcopal Church, Cupertino. Ca].” All photos with English captions on the mounts. Some photos dated. Period quarter cloth binding. Tears of the spine, covers worn, one photo apparently missing, one leaf and one photo detached, but overall a very good album, with strong, interesting photos.

Historically interesting collection of rare, original photos, illustrating an early, pre-war recreational trip to YMCA Camp Fox (est. in 1926-active today) on Catalina Island.

The album was compiled by 11-year-old Charles [Chuck] Chandler (ca. 1928-2001) of Glendale, a future U.S. Military Academy lieutenant. He traveled to Camp Fox with his older brother, Ed, during the summer of 1938. At the time, Catalina Island thrived under the ownership of William Wrigley Jr., who transformed it into a premier tourist destination with landmarks such as the Catalina Casino, the Catalina Island Golf Course, hotels, and recreational facilities. Following the Pearl Harbor attack, however, the island was closed to civilians and repurposed for military training. After WWII, the military left the island in disrepair, prompting extensive renovations to restore its appeal.

The collection features thirty-nine original photographs from Catalina Island, including two rare early views of Camp Fox and its tents (now replaced by wooden cabins), taken from the beach and a nearby hilltop. About fifteen lively vernacular photos show group portraits of the boys and their campmates posing by their tents, swimming in the sea, laughing on the beach, playing in the water, and proudly displaying their medals. One striking photo depicts the early views of the Avalon Bay and the Catalina Casino, the largest building of the island.

About fourteen candid scenes portray the Chandler brothers at Camp Verdugo and in town, operating a lining machine, posing with cousins, playing in the snow with their father, Edwin George Chandler (ca. 1898-1973), etc.

Near the close, the album shifts to four photographs of Charles, at 19 years old, posing with female friends after graduating from Glendale High School and while studying at Pomona College. The images are accompanied by playful inscriptions from the girls.

Overall, historically interesting collection, documenting the pre-war Catalina Island.