Photographic album 
Marmaduke N. Dickson, Jr. (American, b. 1922-death date unknown)
c. 1945
33.5 cm x 26.5 cm x 5.5 cm
Special Collections and College Archives, Musselman Library, Gettysburg College 

This album, belonging to soldier Marmaduke N. Dickson, Jr., of the Army Air Force, is a comprehensive record of 350 photographs mounted in 85 pages and reveals Dickson’s friends, hobbies, and interests. A hand-drawn map on the front fly signed “Moss Mabry ’46,” depicts Dickson’s progress across the Pacific Theatre; he traveled to New Guinea, Pelew, the Philippines, Okinawa, and Japan. Throughout the album Dickson’s photographs depict both high-ranking officials and lower- ranking soldiers, and provide an interesting commentary on the different ways these men experience war. In multiple photographs high- ranking men in conversation appear in startlingly clean and orderly uniforms, while on the very same page lower-ranking soldiers traverse wet and muddy terrain in dirty and baggy clothing. The scrapbook opens gloomily with photographs of an American cemetery in New Guinea and a soldier posing in the midst of digging a grave. Other photographs unabashedly reveal dead bodies decaying in the jungle and capture the mushroom clouds of bombs. In contrast to such disheartening scenes, Dickson also includes photographs of USO performances with Bob Hope and dancing girls in leotards. This stark opposition comprises a remarkable first-hand account of warfare, and creates an intimacy with the viewer due to the personal nature of the album and how the American public under- stands a now historical war.(1)

Dickson displays a keen interest in his areas of deployment and photographed many local people in their everyday lives. These photo- graphs often depict men and women posing for portraits or completing various tasks, such as unloading canoes, constructing buildings, or preparing meals. The roles and identities of the local people are seen in contrast to the regimented life of an American soldier. In comparison, the scrapbook of World War I soldier Lt. Francis M. Tompkins, also on display in this exhibition, includes fewer photographs of people and more images of both beautiful and ruined landscapes, as well as military machinery. Tompkins also included various media in his scrapbook, including postcards and handwritten segments, while Dickson’s album is composed exclusively of photographs.

Though he was not a professional photographer, it would be difficult to discount the aesthetic and technical skill displayed in Dickson’s photographs. Interestingly, Dickson also added to his album twenty-four color Polaroid photographs, taken with one of the first available color film cameras. Because this book was intended for personal use, Dickson was able to chronicle his time overseas without fear of scrutiny, arguably leading to a less biased and more comprehensive work. Ultimately, Dickson’s album transports its viewers to the tumultuous experience of war, one marked by contrasts of threats and pleasures. Photographs of the local victims of war are juxtaposed with photographs of dancing girls, nameless soldiers pose with celebrity entertainers, and bombed buildings appear on the same page as newly constructed army bases. 

1 For more on the Air Force in the Pacific Theater, see Charlie Cooper, War in Pacific Skies (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Zenith Press, 2010).