Sailors: Swaggers and Smiles

One of my earliest pieces, dating to 2005, is "Dad, St. Peter's, 1946." It's based on a photo of my Dad on shore leave in Rome, just after the war was over. He is the one near the center wearing the white sailor hat, with his swagger down just about perfectly. It seems as if the group of them may have just bought new cameras from the guy standing behind them. When you look at it closely, every sailor is either taking a photo or posing for one. I can just imagine how good it felt to be on land and to have peacetime after such a long war. My Dad was in the Navy from 1938-50 and then transferred to the Army until 1960. This piece is approximately 3 feet wide by 20 inches high and is done on two joined antique chestnut floorboards.

 

An early example of a consumer color camera, sailors enjoying some sunny decktime with a cute little puppy that looks like a Cocker Spaniel to me.  My dad is the tall one in the back.

A few more sailors have joined the group posing with the puppy. My Dad must have been the photographer for this on. I love the various ways these young men are wearing their caps.

Must Have Been a Fun Night—Mid 1950s

 

I'm not sure what the context of this photo is . . . It's from the mid 1950s, which would place it in Germany, as my father was stationed in Stuttgart until 1960—where I was born in 1957. I'm guessing it must have been a fundraiser or charity event of some sort. I didn't superimpose anything on the image, all the scratches and discolorations are on the original. I'm not quite sure what the guy is doing at the bottom right, either, lol. He looks totally out of proportion. I'm guessing the subjects, the "boxer" and my dad in the bow tie, are standing on a raised stage, and that little guy is sitting below, but it's really an odd juxtaposition. I really like this photo of my father, though!

Being 20, Shore Leave—Rome, 1946

This piece, St Peter's Square, 1946, is from the same series of images as below. I'll be working with these more and more in my new work.

B T W :  

Aboard ship, having fun when they could, these young sailors mug for the cameraman, my father. Remember, much of the time, war is fought by the brave and the young, the very young.