An American sailor poses with a group of children in elaborate ceremonial costume during a port visit, likely in Ceylon, while serving with the U.S. Navy's China Station or Asiatic Fleet in the 1930s. Ships of the pre-war Asiatic Fleet regularly called at ports throughout South and East Asia, giving sailors the opportunity to witness and photograph local customs, architecture, and ceremonies far from home in the years before World War II reshaped the American military presence in the Pacific. Project: 218177