The photographs Solly took during the era of letters home were an incredibly important part of Solly’s mission to share news and information with Es, Dave and Eric.  Solly writes about taking pictures and his camera(s) a number of times.  He clearly appreciates photography and the tech behind it and is particular about the camera, film, and privacy surrounding the development of his rolls of film.  You can sense Solly’s excitement and disappointments with the camera.

In the April 19, 1945 letter Solly writes about his camera for the first time.

Oh yes – I’ve been taking some pictures – snapshots – with a nice AGFA folding camera – Now all I need – is for some one to develope the damn things – Then I’d send them home – You see – The pictures must be developed and passed by the censor – I can’t send it home undeveloped – Something might turn up – Soon –

Then in the May 16, 1945 letter he describes in detail how he believes his film was sabotaged by Army censors and how he plans to wait for his camera to come from home.  After that incident, Solly stops mentioning anything about his plans for photos or ideas about film development, which makes sense if he is planning a new method of taking and keeping photos and which he wants to keep Army censors from reading about it in his letters.  On May 18, two days after the May 16th letter he does write that he received “his camera” and 5 rolls of film.

On May 31, 1945 he says he has developed a roll of film and now has pictures to send home but is going to hold off doing so until he makes more copies of the photos so he can send them to a number of people stateside at the same time. In the June 9, 1945 letter Solly writes: “Enclosed you will find a few pictures.” Those particular photos can be viewed in the June 9th letter post.

There are many more photos on this blog that are also of his time in Germany including photos of blown up bridges, bombed out towns, and a number of photos of him stateside and in uniform with fellow G.I.’s prior to being shipped overseas. These latter photos did not come to me from Esther but from my mother who gave me a small pile of my Dad’s photos many years prior to receiving the envelope from Esther.

How did Solly get those other pictures home with him?  I cannot say for sure but by the time Solly was sent home in January 1946 photos were not contraband, or concealed weapons, or an issue with censors.