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An original 7x9.5" vintage photo (NOT a modern reprint) from a rare U.S. Marine Corps photo collection.
This original, first-generation photo is from a massive photo collection compiled by Mrs Marion Fischer. It contained over 500 mostly USMC press and personal photos spanning from Pearl Harbor through the Korean War. Much of her collection is now part of the USMC archives referenced as Coll/858. Other parts of it, such as this photo collection, were sold by her estate.
Photo Overview
Brigadier General Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller of Saluda, Virginia and Major General John T. Selden of Richmond, Virginia register for the First Marine Division Association\'s Fourth Annual Reunion in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1951. Puller, at left in his summer service uniform with his famous broad grin and rows of ribbons, stands beside the bespectacled General Selden as Corporal Margaret Schramm of Philadelphia hands the generals a program of planned reunion activities across a registration table topped with an Underwood typewriter and stacks of paperwork. Behind them, enlisted Marines in overseas caps wait in line at the crowded convention hall.
This is a genuine first-generation official U.S. Marine Corps press photograph capturing one of the most legendary figures in Marine Corps history at a First Marine Division gathering held while the division was actively fighting in Korea. A wonderful candid image of "Chesty" Puller, whose likeness and reputation remain iconic among Marines to this day.
Historical Notes
At the time of this 1951 reunion, Lewis "Chesty" Puller had recently returned from Korea, where he had commanded the 1st Marine Regiment through the brutal Chosin Reservoir campaign in late 1950, an action that further cemented his legend. Puller went on to become the most decorated Marine in Corps history, earning five Navy Crosses over a career spanning both World Wars, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Korea. He was promoted to lieutenant general before retiring in 1955 and died in 1971. His name lives on in the traditional Marine barracks call "Goodnight, Chesty, wherever you are." John T. Selden had commanded the 1st Marine Division in Korea and continued his service before his own retirement. The First Marine Division Association, founded in 1946, remains active today, continuing to hold annual reunions for veterans of the storied "Old Breed" division.
Browse our complete USMC photograph collection.
Text Present
Front, on typewriter: "Underwood"
Back, handwritten in pencil: "1951"
Back, typed caption: "Brig-Gen. Louis B. Puller of Saluda, Va., and Maj-Gen. John T. Selden of Richmond, Va., register for the First Marine Division Association\'s Fourth Annual Reunion in Philadelphia, Pa. Corporal Margaret Schramm of Philadelphia, presents Gen. Selden with a program of activities planned for the reunion."
Back, typed: "Field #NERD-387 / OFFICIAL MARINE CORPS PHOTOGRAPH / TSgt. A. S. Bender"
Print analysis
This is a Type 1 original, first-generation photograph. The back bears the typed "OFFICIAL MARINE CORPS PHOTOGRAPH" caption with a field number and the photographer\'s credit (TSgt. A. S. Bender), consistent with a press print produced at the time of the 1951 event. The heavy orange/brown chemical staining and silvering on the reverse is characteristic of period darkroom processing and fixer residue on a genuine gelatin silver print, not a later reproduction. The image detail, tonal range, and glossy photographic surface all confirm an original photographic print made within the same year the picture was taken.
Condition
Fair to good vintage condition. Please see photos. The back side has remnants of having been glued into a scrapbook.
