Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese-Americans by Ansel Adams

[Japanese-American][Japanese Photography] Adams, Ansel. Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese-Americans. New York: U.S. Camera, 1944. Paperback. First Edition, First Printing. 112 pages total, including 65 photographs. Soft cover stapled maroon wrappers with light green titled lettering. Measures 11" x 8". Born Free and Equal: The Story of Loyal Japanese-Americans is a textual and pictorial book by American landscape photographer, Ansel Adams, containing photographs from his 1943–1944 visit to the internment camp, Manzanar War Relocation Center, in Owens Valley, Inyo County, California. In the summer of 1943, Adams was invited by his friend, (truncated) newly appointed camp director Ralph Merritt, to photograph life at the camp. The project, the accompanying book, and exhibition at the MoMA created a significant amount of controversy, partly owing to the subject matter. As World War II was still being fought, the animosity and prejudices against Japanese Americans was at a record high, especially on the West Coast. As a result, Adams's goal in his book was twofold: to emphasize the Japanese-American internee's loyalty to America, as conveyed in the subtitle of the book, "The Story of Loyal Japanese-Americans"; and to illuminate their undying resilience, coping with life-altering situations. In Adams' own sentiments, he notes that: "The purpose of my work was to show how these people, suffering under a great injustice, and loss of property, businesses and professions, had overcome the sense of defeat and despair by building for themselves a vital community in an arid (but magnificent) environment…All in all, I think this Manzanar Collection is an important historical document, and I trust it can be put to good use". Within his book, Adams captures mundane instances of Japanese-American life in the camp, including a photo of "A Young Lawyer and His Family", "Nobutero Harry Sumida, A Spanish-American War Veteran", nurses, young students, farmers, and more. In addition, he includes various landscape images of Owens Valley. Wrappers have a minor 1/2 " tear to the front lower spine. Clean, vibrant pages and images, overall in very good condition. (Inventory #: 20746)