The Snapshots in Time Collection

Gallery: Part 5

Wartime Asia appears here in stark contrast, pairing hand-tinted views of Manila's plazas and colonial architecture with scenes of street fighting and ruin in 1930s China and the shattered city of 1945. Preserved in personal albums, these images record how quickly civic life gave way to urban destruction.

Hand-Tinted Photograph of a Philippine Colonial-Era Stone Church with Round Bell Tower and Clock, Provincial Street Scene

Hand-Tinted Photograph of a Philippine Colonial-Era Stone Church with Round Bell Tower and Clock, Provincial Street Scene

USAT Grant Underway in the Verde Island Passage, Philippines, Aerial View

USAT Grant Underway in the Verde Island Passage, Philippines, Aerial View

Carabao Wading in Tropical River, Rural Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Carabao Wading in Tropical River, Rural Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

"Way Home" — Passing Under the Bridge, Hand-Tinted Souvenir Photograph No. 706, Philippines

"Way Home" — Passing Under the Bridge, Hand-Tinted Souvenir Photograph No. 706, Philippines

Provincial Church Bell Tower and Pond, Rural Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Provincial Church Bell Tower and Pond, Rural Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Fishermen and Boat Silhouetted Against Sun over Water, Hand-Tinted Photograph No. 674, Philippines

Fishermen and Boat Silhouetted Against Sun over Water, Hand-Tinted Photograph No. 674, Philippines

Hand-Tinted Photograph: Filipino Villagers Washing Clothes at a Riverbank, Manila Area

Hand-Tinted Photograph: Filipino Villagers Washing Clothes at a Riverbank, Manila Area

Plaza Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines — Hand-Tinted Street Photograph No. 836

Plaza Santa Cruz, Manila, Philippines — Hand-Tinted Street Photograph No. 836

Ivy-Covered Neoclassical Institutional Building, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph No. 67

Ivy-Covered Neoclassical Institutional Building, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph No. 67

Building Illuminated with Festive Electric Lights and American Flag at Night, Philippines, Early 20th Century

Building Illuminated with Festive Electric Lights and American Flag at Night, Philippines, Early 20th Century

Silhouetted Figure on Mountain Trail, Cordillera Highlands, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Silhouetted Figure on Mountain Trail, Cordillera Highlands, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Cascading Waterfall in Rocky Ravine, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Cascading Waterfall in Rocky Ravine, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Two Children Silhouetted at Water's Edge Beneath a Dramatic Sky, Hand-Tinted Photograph, Philippines

Two Children Silhouetted at Water's Edge Beneath a Dramatic Sky, Hand-Tinted Photograph, Philippines

Coastal Lighthouse and Keeper's House at Sunset with Fishing Structures, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Coastal Lighthouse and Keeper's House at Sunset with Fishing Structures, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

U.S. Coast Artillery Gun Firing from Harbor Defense Emplacement, Manila Bay Area, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

U.S. Coast Artillery Gun Firing from Harbor Defense Emplacement, Manila Bay Area, Philippines, Hand-Tinted Photograph

Sandbag Barricade with Armed Guard on Cobblestone Street, Possibly Manila or Another Asian City, Early 20th Century

Sandbag Barricade with Armed Guard on Cobblestone Street, Possibly Manila or Another Asian City, Early 20th Century

Smiling Military Officer in Service Uniform with Seated Troops in Background, Possibly Philippines, WWII Era

Smiling Military Officer in Service Uniform with Seated Troops in Background, Possibly Philippines, WWII Era

Urban Fire Aftermath with Onlookers, Asian City Street (Manila Photo Album), c. 1930s-1940s

Urban Fire Aftermath with Onlookers, Asian City Street (Manila Photo Album), c. 1930s-1940s

Japanese Armored Cars on Patrol in a Chinese Treaty-Port Street, c. early-to-mid 1930s

Japanese Armored Cars on Patrol in a Chinese Treaty-Port Street, c. early-to-mid 1930s

Machine Gun Crew in Anti-Aircraft Firing Position, Sino-Japanese Conflict Era, c. 1930s

Machine Gun Crew in Anti-Aircraft Firing Position, Sino-Japanese Conflict Era, c. 1930s

Street Destruction in a Chinese Commercial District, Manila, 1945

Street Destruction in a Chinese Commercial District, Manila, 1945

Ruins of a Neoclassical Building Amid Rubble-Strewn Street, Manila, Philippines, 1945

Ruins of a Neoclassical Building Amid Rubble-Strewn Street, Manila, Philippines, 1945

Wreckage of a Crashed and Burned Aircraft in an Open Field, c. 1930s

Wreckage of a Crashed and Burned Aircraft in an Open Field, c. 1930s

Soldiers Carrying Communication Wire Through a City Street, Watched by Local Civilians, c. 1930s

Soldiers Carrying Communication Wire Through a City Street, Watched by Local Civilians, c. 1930s

Bombed and Burned-Out City Buildings with Rubble-Filled Street, c. 1930s

Bombed and Burned-Out City Buildings with Rubble-Filled Street, c. 1930s

Bomb-Damaged Railway Station and Platform, China, 1930s (Likely Shanghai North Station)

Bomb-Damaged Railway Station and Platform, China, 1930s (Likely Shanghai North Station)

Soldiers Manning a Firing Trench, Sino-Japanese Conflict Era, c. 1930s

Soldiers Manning a Firing Trench, Sino-Japanese Conflict Era, c. 1930s

Devastated Street in Manila After the 1945 Battle of Manila

Devastated Street in Manila After the 1945 Battle of Manila

Machine Gun Crew in Action Under Officer Supervision, Sino-Japanese Conflict Era, c. 1930s

Machine Gun Crew in Action Under Officer Supervision, Sino-Japanese Conflict Era, c. 1930s

Street Scene with Standing and Seated Figures, Manila Album

Street Scene with Standing and Seated Figures, Manila Album

Soldiers Resting Around an Open Fire Amid Wreckage, c. 1930s

Soldiers Resting Around an Open Fire Amid Wreckage, c. 1930s

Soldiers Firing from a Sandbagged Barricade in a Chinese City Street, c. 1932-1937

Soldiers Firing from a Sandbagged Barricade in a Chinese City Street, c. 1932-1937

Portrait of Vice Admiral (Kichisaburo) Nomura, Imperial Japanese Navy, Likely Shanghai, c. 1932

Portrait of Vice Admiral (Kichisaburo) Nomura, Imperial Japanese Navy, Likely Shanghai, c. 1932

Officers with a Water-Cooled Maxim-Type Machine Gun, c. 1930s

Officers with a Water-Cooled Maxim-Type Machine Gun, c. 1930s

Japanese Naval Vessel Moored on the Shanghai Waterfront, c. 1930s

Japanese Naval Vessel Moored on the Shanghai Waterfront, c. 1930s

Destroyed Wooden Trestle Bridge Over Water, c. 1930s

Destroyed Wooden Trestle Bridge Over Water, c. 1930s

Crowded River Waterway with Cascos and Bancas, Manila, Philippines (Album Photograph)

Crowded River Waterway with Cascos and Bancas, Manila, Philippines (Album Photograph)

Fortified Street Position with Sandbag Barricade and Armored Cars, c. 1930s

Fortified Street Position with Sandbag Barricade and Armored Cars, c. 1930s

Two Soldiers in a Foxhole, Steel Helmets and Rifles, c. 1930s

Two Soldiers in a Foxhole, Steel Helmets and Rifles, c. 1930s

Toppled Steel Lattice Transmission Tower Amid War-Damaged Terrain, c. 1930s

Toppled Steel Lattice Transmission Tower Amid War-Damaged Terrain, c. 1930s

Soldiers with Fixed Bayonets Advancing Along a Ridge — Photograph from a Manila Photo Album

Soldiers with Fixed Bayonets Advancing Along a Ridge — Photograph from a Manila Photo Album

Soldiers Servicing a Fortress/Coastal Defense Gun in a Concrete Casemate, c. 1930s

Soldiers Servicing a Fortress/Coastal Defense Gun in a Concrete Casemate, c. 1930s

Destroyed Fortress Gun Battery with Dismounted Barrels, c. 1930s

Destroyed Fortress Gun Battery with Dismounted Barrels, c. 1930s

Wrecked and Burned Railway Car in Manila Rail Yard, Aftermath of the Battle of Manila, 1945

Wrecked and Burned Railway Car in Manila Rail Yard, Aftermath of the Battle of Manila, 1945

Soldiers with Heavy Coastal Defense Gun, Manila Bay Area, Early 20th Century

Soldiers with Heavy Coastal Defense Gun, Manila Bay Area, Early 20th Century

Ruins of a Riverside Building Complex, East Asia, Wartime Devastation, c. 1930s-1940s

Ruins of a Riverside Building Complex, East Asia, Wartime Devastation, c. 1930s-1940s

Helmeted Troops Advancing Through a Rubble-Filled Alley, Shanghai Conflict Era, c. 1932-1937

Helmeted Troops Advancing Through a Rubble-Filled Alley, Shanghai Conflict Era, c. 1932-1937

Devastated City Block with Surviving Chimney Stacks, Aftermath of Urban Bombardment, c. 1932-1937

Devastated City Block with Surviving Chimney Stacks, Aftermath of Urban Bombardment, c. 1932-1937

Field Trench Position with Officer and Horse, Imperial Japanese Army, China Campaign, c. 1930s

Field Trench Position with Officer and Horse, Imperial Japanese Army, China Campaign, c. 1930s

Hand-Tinted Landscape Photograph, Stone Footbridge Over Mountain Stream, Pine Forest, Early-Mid 20th Century

Hand-Tinted Landscape Photograph, Stone Footbridge Over Mountain Stream, Pine Forest, Early-Mid 20th Century

Project: 218606