LARGE COLLECTION OF PHOTOGRAPHS by FRED PRESS of PANAMA, ECUADOR, GUATEMALA, HONDURAS and other locales in CENTRAL AMERICA. ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS taken by FRED PRESS while stationed with the SIXTH AIR FORCE in PANAMA during WORLD WAR II. During this time he was ART EDITOR and then MANAGING EDITOR of the CARIBBEAN BREEZE, the official publication of the Sixth Air Force. He was also the ARTIST for the covers of many issues. FRED PRESS went on to become an IMPORTANT MID-CENTURY DESIGNER of GLASSWARE, some of which can still be found on eBay. He was also a noted sculptor and artist.

The lot includes: 51 mounted b&w photographs, most ranging from 5.5x7.5 to 7.5x9.5 inches, all mounted on 10x12 inch boards; PLUS approximately 200 loose mostly 4x5 inch photographs. All the photographs show an artist's eye, truly capturing the native peoples and their culture. They are sharp, clear, and quite wonderful. The mounted photos were once separated by blank mounting boards with headings of various countries - Columbia, Panama, Costa Rica, Peru, Galapagos, Guatemala, Ecuador - but all the separation mounting boards are now laid behind the 51 mounted photos, so you'll have to figure out which belong where. There are 10 handmade pockets for the smaller loose photos, each with a handwritten name of a country, e.g. Guatemala, and/or the names of Jack Lamberts and Dan Frost, both of whom were stationed in Panama with Fred Press and WROTE ARTICLES for the Caribbean Breeze. Many of the smaller photos are in the pockets, many are not, and I'm not sure that even those in the pockets are in the correct pocket.

The backs of the mounts of some of the mounted photographs note Fred Press (some seem signed, some simply credit his name), most of the backsides are blank. A couple of the large photos include Fred Press in the image, one with him and a native woman, one with him in a rather absurd looking Mariachi outfit. (Fred Press has a rather unique, unmistakable profile).

The lot also includes: SEVEN ISSUES of THE CARIBBEAN BREEZE, the official publication of the Sixth Air Force, published in PANAMA during WORLD WAR II. Fred Press was first the publication's art editor, then assistant editor and finally its managing editor. He provided the cover art for many of the issues and also wrote articles for the publication. The art and photographs Fred Press provided for the publication were meant to share the culture of the indigenous people of Central America to the soldiers stationed there.

About FRED PRESS (from the Fred Press Artwork website, and elsewhere on the Internet):

******Fred Press, b.1919 d.2012, was a 20th century American artist known primarily for his mid-century designs that revolutionized the glassware industry, but also for his artworks and sculptures. His parents had emigrated from Russia in the early 1900's and Fred Press was born in Boston.

During the Second World War Fred Press was a member of the Sixth Air Force stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. He rose to the rank of Tech Sergeant. While in Central America he was the Artist, Art Editor, and then Managing Editor of the Caribbean Breeze, the official publication of the Sixth Air Force. Most of the Covers were drawn by Fred Press, based on his photographs of the local peoples. He also wrote articles to accompany his art and photographs, meant to help educate the soldiers about the surrounding area's culture and history. Much of the knowledge gained during this time was used later as subjects for his paintings and sculptures.

Early in the 1950's, Fred Press moved to New York City where for the next three decades, as chief designer and executive Vice President of Rubel and Company, he helped revolutionize the giftware industry of New York's Fifth Avenue. The Museum of Modern Art, NY awarded him a design award for his glassware and his numerous multi-media products.******

INTERNATIONAL BUYERS PLEASE NOTE: This lot will require substantial additional postage.