[COLD WAR, FORT HOOD, HELL ON WHEELS] 500+ Photos, Black Americana, c. 1959-1962 For Sale

Cold War – 2ndArmored Division – 24thInfantry Division Band - Hell on Wheels – Fort Hood, Texas – Augsburg, Germany – Detroit, MI

A vernacular photographic record of a black American soldier’s service during the early Cold War (c. 1959-1961).Wilvin F. Lyman of Detroit, MI, was a member of the 2ndArmored Division, aka “Hell on Wheels,” and spent time training at Fort Hood (Texas) in 1959.He was later in Augsburg, Germany as a member of the 24thInfantry Division Band from 1960-1961.

There are four 11x14’’ albums with blue boards as well as loose photos (over 500 total photos).Most of the photos in the albums are labeled by compiler (Lyman) in white lettering.A few of the group photos from Augsburg are ostensibly RPPCs.

It seems that some photos of his life at home in 1959 are interspersed with the military photos.For example, a couple photos of a “T-bird club” seem to be in Detroit, maybe just before he went into training, etc.

Many of the photos show Lyman with his military friends, having fun with girls and going out to celebrate.There are also photos of helicopters, tanks, band rehearsal, parades, and other scenes on-duty, as it were.

Lyman and his friends seemed to participate in boxing clubs.He has newspaper clippings relating to his division’s participation in military boxing tournaments in Augsburg.There are many pictures and captions related to boxing and his enthusiasm for good boxers, generally.

There are photos of Lyman and his division playing baseball, as well.

There are many great group shots in this lot; I try to show a few in the photos.One of the group shots is taken at the Majestic Hotel in Cleveland, Ohio, I believe.The stamp on the verso reads

“Souvenir Photo”

By; Eddie A. Wall

Majestic Hotel, Room 132.

This would seem to have been an off-duty group shot, maybe taken after the military.

There is a large group photo of the Calypso band “The Fabulous McClevertys,” taken at Maurice Seymour studios in Chicago.This band was the back-up band at one point for “The Charmer,” later known as Louis Farrakhan.

In addition to the photos, there is a yearbook of the 2ndarmored division from 1959.This is musty but relevant to the context of the photos.I will make sure to pack it separately from the photos during shipment.

There are also newspapers clippings related to boxing and Detroit history, mostly.A matchbook and the military patches (pictured above) comprise the remainder of the “ephemera” in this lot.

These photos are in very good condition.The paper that constitutes the albums is rather brittle and cheap, but the photos are not glued down and can pop easily out of the photo corners.Some pages inside the albums are loose but this has not affected the condition of the photos.Several of the photos have slightly bent edges, but I have taken them out of the photo corners so they do not incur further damage.As mentioned above, the 2ndarmored division military yearbook smells like mildew when open; I think it is important enough to the history of the photos to include, despite the condition.I will make sure to pack it separately from the photos when I ship the lot, though.

Please let me know if you have any questions, etc.!