Mar 21, 2024 - Sale 2663

Sale 2663 - Lot 311

Unsold
Estimate: $ 1,500 - $ 2,500
(MILITARY--WORLD WAR TWO.) E.F. Joseph Studios. Photograph of Dorie Miller being honored at a banquet. Photograph, 7¼ x 9¼ inches, with inked photographer's signature "Joseph photo" in image, and his inked stamp on verso; minimal wear, mount remnants on verso. Oakland, CA, 16 December 1942
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Additional Details

Doris "Dorie" Miller was a navy mess attendant during the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Without any prior training, he shot down four Japanese airplanes and also rescued a wounded officer. He was awarded the prestigious Navy Cross in May 1942, and was the most renowned Black war hero in the nation until he died in the line of duty in November 1943.

Miller was on leave in Oakland in late December 1942 and attended several events. Here he stands at the head of the table at a banquet with civilians and other sailors. Four other photos of Miller by Black photographer E.F. Joseph appeared in the Pittsburgh Courier on 19 December 1942, but not this one. Joseph also interviewed Miller in Oakland on 31 December for the 2 January 1943 Courier.