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Lot 88: (WORLD WAR II.) MACARTHUR, DOUGLAS; AND EISENHOWER, DWIGHT D. Photograph Signed, by both,
Auction House: Swann Auction Galleries
Auction Location: New York, NY, USA
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY
USA
10010
Phone: 212.254.4710
Fax: 212 979 1017
Email: swann@swanngalleries.com
Auction Title: SHOCHET COLLECTION OF SIGNED HISTORICAL PHOTOS
Auction Date: February 11, 2010
Description: WARRIORS UNCHARACTERISTICALLY AT PEACE (WORLD WAR II.) MACARTHUR, DOUGLAS; AND EISENHOWER, DWIGHT D. Photograph Signed, by both, silver print image by Thomas Shafer showing the two Generals side by side in a car during Eisenhower's visit to Tokyo in May, 1946. Photographer's ink stamp on verso. Approximately 8x10 inches; minor creases and dings, marginal chips. [Tokyo, May 1946]
Condition: All items are offered for sale subject to Swann Galleries' standard terms and conditions of sale, which are published in our catalogues.
Notes: Eisenhower and MacArthur's enmity toward each other is well documented, making this image an exceptional association piece. Shafer was a combat photographer during World War II and spent most of the war in the Pacific Theater. He made some 18 troop landings with the 1st Cavalry division, and took many of the widely distributed photos of MacArthur wading ashore on his "I have returned" landing in the Philippines. After the Japanese surrender, Shafer spent time in Japan and took the first close-up photos of Emperor Hirohito and became essentially MacArthur's personal photographer.
In May 1946, Eisenhower was Army Chief of Staff and MacArthur the head of the U.S. occupation of Japan. Ike was in Tokyo on an inspection trip visiting U.S. troops stationed in the Far East. In the photograph, the two generals are seated in MacArthur's official Cadillac limousine. It appeared in newspapers on June 2, 1946, but Shafer personally had the two generals sign the photograph in his presence while Ike was still in Tokyo.
