My paternal grandfather, Richard Isphording {pictured at left}, was in the US Army during the time period of the Second World War and was stationed in various far-away and exotic places including the Middle East, the India/Burma theatre (as it is described in one military document), and likely the Far East as well. A well-worn, leather-bound photo album is all I have remaining of his ventures in those foreign lands. There is a scene embossed on its cover which speaks of the album's origins: dancers and musicians of ancient Egypt, arranged in registers with convolted attempts at hieroglyphic script to accompany them. The album is filled with many photos of his travels along with a few typeset letters relating to his military service and an old map of Germany.
I wanted to post some images from this album, specifically those which I know are and those which I believe to be from the Middle East and Northern Africa, in this blog because of their beauty and hopefully to as a way to gain more information about the people and scenes they depict. My grandfather passed away more than a decade ago so unfortunately I cannot ask him for details myself. If you have any additional information regarding these photos, for instance anything regarding the culture, location, or content depicted, I would greatly appreciate it if you could comment on this entry or e-mail me.
You can view the photos in the slideshow in the left column of this blog, or visit:
