Guide to the William Dana Reynolds Collection of Great Kanto Earthquake Photographs, 1923

John Hay Library , Special Collections
Box A
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Tel: 401-863-2146
email: hay@brown.edu

Published in 2013

Collection Overview

Title:	William Dana Reynolds Collection of Great Kanto Earthquake Photographs
Date range:	1923
Creator:	Reynolds, William Dana
Extent:	1.0 linear feet
Abstract:	A photograph album comprised of photographs taken by William Dana Reynolds documenting a voyage to Japan in 1923. The album focuses on images of Kanto, Japan after the earthquake of 1923 as well as memorabilia from the voyage.
Language of materials:	English
Repository:	John Hay Library , Special Collections
Collection number:	Ms.2011.015

Scope & content

Includes images of Kanto, Japan after the earthquake of 1923 as well as memorabilia from the voyage. Album disbound; 28 leaves with pasted on or mounted photographs, various leaves with no photographs, front and back cover, and one loose photograph (of dog).

The entire photo album has been digitized. An online exhibit which includes the images for each page of the album and additional information about the earthquake are available on the Brown University website: The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923

Access Points

Subject Topics

• Earthquakes--Japan
• Kanto Earthquake, Japan, 1923
• Photograph albums--Japan

Document Types

• Photographs
• Scrapbooks

Subject Topics

• Social Life and Customs

Arrangement

The collection is organized in one series: I. Great Kanto Earthquake.

Historical note

In August 1923, William Dana Reynolds, with his wife Vera Hunt Reynolds and their young daughter Helen embarked from Honolulu on the Japanese steamship Taiyo Maru, bound for Yokohama. While at sea, the ship experienced and survived a tsunami only to arrive, badly damaged, in Yokohama Bay on September 8th as witness to the destruction caused by the Great Kanto Earthquake. Fully aware of the risks involved, eight of the male passengers decided to leave the ship and enter the city. Dana Reynolds was among them. For the next few hours, and later, upon his return several days after the initial quake, he recorded a series of compelling images of the horror and devastation.

Access & Use

Access to the collection:	There are no restrictions on access, except that the collection can only be seen by prior appointment. Some materials may be stored off-site and cannot be produced on the same day on which they are requested.
Use of the materials:	Although Brown University has physical ownership of the collection and the materials contained therein, it does not claim literary rights. Researchers should note that compliance with copyright law is their responsibility. Researchers must determine the owners of the literary rights and obtain any necessary permissions from them.
Alternate form:	The album has been fully digitized and is available at: The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923
Preferred citation:	William Dana Reynolds Collection of great Kanto Earthquake Photographs, Ms.2011.015, Brown University
Contact information:	John Hay Library , Special Collections Box A Brown University Providence, RI 02912 Tel: 401-863-2146 email: hay@brown.edu

Administrative Information

ABOUT THE COLLECTION
Acquisition:	The photo album was presented as a gift to Brown University in 2005 by Lee Stewart, granddaughter of William Dana and Vera Reynolds.
Custodial history:	The photographic images of the Kanto earthquake had been compiled into an album, and in early 2005, Lee Stewart, granddaughter of Dana and Vera Reynolds, offered her grandparent's photo album as a donation to any institution that would take care of the artifact itself as well as make it as available to scholars. Containing the photographic record of their encounter with the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the album includes some of the earliest photographs of the destruction taken by Americans, and consists of over 100 original photographs taken in Yokohama, Kyoto, Shanghai, and Hawaii, as well as many photographs purchased in Japan that document the devastation.
Processing information:	The album has been fully dis-bound and individual pages sleeved.
ABOUT THE FINDING AID
Author:	Finding aid prepared by Brown University Library staff.
Encoding:	This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit 2013 January 25
Descriptive rules:	Finding aid based on Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sponsor:	Processing funded by a grant from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission.

Additional Information

Location/Existence of copies:

The album has been fully digitized and is available at: The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923

Inventory

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