China -- album pages, 1936-1938

File — Box: Assorted oversize box 7, oversize: folder

The Walt Sobol Photographs and Negatives is a collection comprised of 2,169 black-and-white photographic prints and 1,193 photographic negatives taken by Sobol during his career in aircraft manufacturing in China, Burma, India and the U.S. from the late 1920s through 1950s. The photographs are a mix of personal images, scenes of daily life in the various places he traveled, and documentation of the aircraft manufacturing industry in Missouri, China and India.

The photographs are arranged following Sobol's original order, chronologically by year with groupings by location and subject. About 358 prints and 135 negatives are from Sobol's early career in Missouri from about 1928-1931 and include images of Barling Aircraft Factory, Nicholas Beazeley Aircraft Company, Parks Air College, and St. Joseph's Air Service as well as unidentified family and friends.

The bulk of the photographs (more than 1,500 prints and 500 negatives) are from Sobol's time spent in China from about 1934-1942. Many of these depict daily life and scenic shots of various locations within China, including Chengtu (Chengdu), Hankow (Hankou), Hongchou (Hangzhou), Kunming (Kunming Shi), Kweilin (Guilin), Lowing (Loiwing), and Nanking (Nanjing). Camco facilities and personnel are depicted in many images as well as various aircraft in production and completed. Some images depict aircraft accidents and the aftermath of Japanese air raids. There are some formal group portraits and official Camco images, but most of the images are casual snapshots. Note that spellings of place names given in folder titles follow the spellings used by Sobol in his identifications on the prints.

About 85 prints and 75 negatives originate from Sobol's time working in India and include people, facilities, and aircraft associated with Hindustan Aircraft Company as well as a few related to rail coaches. There are also images (more than 100 prints and additional unsorted negatives) from Sobol's travels in places such as Burma, Hong Kong, Saigon, Colombo, the Suez Canal, London, Paris, and various locations on the East Coast of the United States, as well as scenes aboard ships while traveling between the U.S. and Asia.

Identified aircraft in the images include the Curtiss A-12 Shrike, Keystone bomber, and the Barling NB-3. Some of the identified people include K.C. Chang, P.Y. Cheng, C. Foo, Murf Garrold, Carl Long, Jack Olson, Lance Schultz, Walt Sobol, Gilbert Tsai, and Ned Warren.

The sizes of prints vary from 1x1" to 8x10", with a couple of small panoramic images (4.5x11.75") included. The bulk of the photographs are 3x5" or smaller. Many images include identifying information (often partial, such as first or last name only) provided by Sobol and/or his daughter. A small amount of photographs have stamps on the front, in Chinese characters. Some duplication occurs.

In addition to the visual materials there is a small amount of textual material in the collection related to Sobol's career and time in China and India. Materials include business cards of Sobol's and ones collected from his associates; business and personal correspondence; assorted pieces of printed ephemera including menus; and some of Sobol's identification cards. A few pieces of the textual items are photocopies of original documents retained by his family.

Dates

1936-1938

Language of Materials

Some materials are in Chinese characters and Burmese. The bulk of the collection is in English.

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research. Not all of the negatives have been organized and rehoused. Access to the collection may be limited or may require additional processing time. For more information contact us.