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Forrest E. LaViolette Slides and Photographs, April-October 1, 1943

Overview of the Collection

Photographer
LaViolette, Forrest E.
Title
Forrest E. LaViolette Slides and Photographs
Dates
April-October 1, 1943 (inclusive)
Quantity
53 slides (1 folder) : color ; 35 mm.
Collection Number
PH0522
Summary
Color slides primarily depicting the Japanese American internment experience during World War II taken by a UW faculty member in the sociology department
Repository
University of Washington Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections
University of Washington Libraries
Box 352900
Seattle, WA
98195-2900
Telephone: 2065431929
Fax: 2065431931
speccoll@uw.edu
Access Restrictions

Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials Curator is required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Request at UW

Languages
English
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Biographical Note

Forrest Emmanuel LaViolette (1904-1989) received a graduate degree in sociology from the University of Chicago in 1936. He was a faculty member in the sociology department at the University of Washington from 1936 to 1940, where he conducted research on Japanese Americans. During World War II, he joined the staff at Heart Mountain Relocation Center, a Japanese American internment camp in Wyoming. After the war he published a book, entitled The Cambodian Japanese in World War II . After leaving the University of Washington, Dr. LaViolette was a professor at McGill University and later served as chairman of sociology at Tulane University.

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Historical Background

After the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, residents along the Pacific Coast of the United States feared additional bombing of their cities, homes, and businesses. The public demanded that residents of Japanese ancestry be evacuated from their homes and relocated to inland locations. This outcry resulted in Executive Order 9066, which was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on February 19, 1942. Executive Order 9066 led to the evacuation, relocation, and internment of 120,000 American citizens and permanent resident aliens of Japanese ancestry. Roosevelt established the War Relocation Authority in March, 1942, to oversee the construction of relocation centers on federally owned land in remote locations in six western states and Arkansas. The Heart Mountain Relocation Center was located in Wyoming and at its peak accommodated more than 10,000 Japanese Americans. At the time it was the third largest community in Wyoming.

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Content Description

The collection consists chiefly of color slides documenting the Japanese American internment experience during World War II. Specifically, the collection shows grounds, buildings, schools, residents, and activities of the Heart Mountain Relocation Center in Wyoming. All of the images were taken by Dr. Forrest E. LaViolette when he was a member of the center staff from April-October 1, 1943. There are five additional photographs taken in British Columbia, Canada.

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Use of the Collection

Alternative Forms Available

View the digital version of the collection

Restrictions on Use

Restrictions may exist on copying, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.

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Administrative Information

Arrangement

The organization and identification of the photographs come from a typescript by LaViolette.

Acquisition Information

Donor: Forrest E. LaViolette, April 1987.

Processing Note

Processed by Rebekah Dalby, 2002. Revised by Maureen Hogan, 2020.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

 

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Subject Terms

  • Concentration camp inmates--Wyoming--Photographs
  • Concentration camps--Wyoming--Photographs
  • Japanese Americans--Evacuation and relocation, 1942-1945--Photographs
  • Japanese Americans--Wyoming--Photographs
  • Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)
  • World War, 1939-1945--Concentration camps--Wyoming--Photographs
  • World War, 1939-1945--Japanese Americans--Photographs

Personal Names

  • LaViolette, Forrest E

Corporate Names

  • Heart Mountain Relocation Center (Wyo.)--Photographs

Geographical Names

  • British Columbia--Photographs


2003 (Last modified: 10/6/2021)

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