The Snapshots in Time Collection

Group Portrait at Damaged Church Gate, Hiroshima, Postwar Occupation

Group Portrait at Damaged Church Gate, Hiroshima, Postwar Occupation

This group photograph shows American servicemen and local companions posing at the surviving gateway of a damaged church compound in Hiroshima. A simple wire arch topped with a cross marks the entrance, while carved characters on the gatepost identify it as a Catholic institution. Photographs like this one document the occupation-era practice of visiting and recording damage to religious and cultural sites following the atomic bombing of August 6, 1945. Project: 218248