Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s photographs reveal about the Japanese American incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge, illustrated by Lauren Tamaki. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2022. 124 pages.
The incarceration of Japanese Americans by the United States Government is one of the darkest events in American history. Over 120,000 Japanese Americans were forced from their homes and into prison camps like Manzanar. In Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams’s photographs reveal about the Japanese American Incarceration, Elizabeth Partridge and Lauren Tamaki tell the story of three photographers who documented this historic event, providing an accessible introduction to this time in history.
Seen and Unseen follows three photographers- Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams, who all photographed the prison camps which Japanese Americans were sent to, and had varied reasons for why they photographed these events.
Dorothea Lange, best known for her documentation of the Great Depression while working for the Farm Security Administration, photographed the entire incarceration process of Japanese Americans for the War Relocation Authority from March-July 1942. She photographed the forced relocation of people from their home, as the government hoped that it would show it was being done in a “humane way.” She followed as they were moved to temporary assembly centers, and even photographed prison camps like Manzanar. Lange was troubled by what she witnessed, but felt it was her duty to document what was happening. Many of her photographs were not published until after the war, held back by her supervisor so the government could curate the image they wanted from the camps.
Toyo Miyatake was imprisoned at Manzanar from 1942-1945. Miyatake smuggled in his camera lens, telling his song “I have to record everything. This kind of thing should never happen again.” A friend built a camera from scrap wood, and a salesman friend agreed to smuggle in film and darkroom chemicals for Toyo. Unrest grew among the prisoners, and guards sought ways to raise spirits. A guard asked Toyo to open a portrait studio so prisoners could document monumental events like birthdays and weddings. Eventually rules loosened and Toyo was able to document life outside of the studio.
Ansel Adams, best known for his landscape photography, was invited by the director of Manzanar to photograph prisoners in the camp to show other Americans that they were hardworking, loyal Americans. Rather than take candid shots like Lange and Miyatake did, Adams staged portraits to show prisoners in the best possible light. Eventually, Manzanar and other prison camps were closed in 1945.
Seen and Unseen provides an excellent introduction to a dark period of American history. While the narrative focuses mostly on the photographer’s experiences, there is substantial information about what everyday life was like for the imprisoned Japanese Americans. Lauren Tamaki’s gorgeous illustrations compliment the photographs, providing a engaging reading experience. This book could serve as an excellent introduction for upper elementary readers, but adults will likely learn something new as well. Seen and Unseen is a masterful introduction to a very difficult topic, and is well worth seeking out.
Elizabeth Weislak is the Children’s Programming Specialist for Alamance County Public Libraries. She can be reached at eweislak@alamancelibraries.org.