Don Bryan
1967 negatives
A2000-071
1890-1945 (unknown)
Much of Mexico's history for the decade of 1910-1920 was recorded by hundreds of photographers on postcards. Using glass plate cameras and early cut film cameras, primitive by today's standards, the photographers faced injury and death to obtain negatives which would be printed on postcard stock and sold to the soldiers and general public on both sides of the U.S.-Mexican border. Some of the views were obviously posed, and others showed the death and destruction resulting from the violence of a nation involved in a bloody civil war. Many times the revolution spilled across the border or involved U.S. military forces. The United States occupied Vera Cruz for nearly seven months in 1914 after Mexican officials arrested an American seaman. In 1916, Mexicans raided Glenn Springs, Texas, and Pancho Villa and his army crossed the border at Columbus, New Mexico, burned part of the town and killed seventeen soldiers and civilians. President Woodrow Wilson ordered General John J. Pershing to lead a "Punitive Expedition" into Mexico to kill or capture Villa. Villa eluded Pershing, and after eleven months the expedition returned to the United States. (by John Hardman for RevMex. www.netdotcom.com/revmexpc/default.htm) Individuals who lived and worked in the Border area extending from Brownsville, Texas to San Diego, California took many other photographs. Memorabilia from that era has become collectors’ items and Mr. Bryan spent many years collecting uniforms, weapons, statues, films, sound recordings, medals and photographs, especially postcards. Many of the postcards that were re-photographed by the South Texas Archives included notes on the backside from the Service man and describe incidents and events on the Border.
The Collection includes negatives of postcards taken by people with the Border Service following the Mexican Revolution of 1910. Where there is writing on the back side of the postcards, the reverse side is also re-photographed.
Arranged in the order it was received.
South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Open for Research
Permission to publish, reproduce, distribute, or use by any and all other current or future developed methods or procedures must be obtained in writing from South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville. All rights are reserved and retained regardless of current or future development or laws that may apply to fair use standards.
Bruno Wolf Jr. Family Collection, Collection A1985-018.XXXX, South Texas Archives, James C. Jernigan Library, Texas A&M University-Kingsville
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A2000-017- Gift of Don Bryan
Processed by Brian Bingham 2014/05/05 Finding Aid by Matthew Tallant 2015/03/15