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This collection consists of photographs Edmund David Osinski (1909-1983) took while serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the early 1930s. Most document individuals, practices, and daily life of Indigenous peoples of the Philippines, particularly the Bontoc/Bontok people, the Kalinga, Ifugao, Itneg, and other Cordilleran, or Igorot, peoples as well as Mangyan-affiliated groups and Moro people, among others. Also included are photographs of landscapes, buildings, and those relating to the U.S. military presence in the country.
A few photographs whose subjects fell outside the scope of the collection were removed during 2022 processing.
The collection is open for research.
Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under
Gift of Karen Roy, daughter of Edmund Osisnki, in 2022 (AM 2023-034).
This collection was processed by Faith Charlton in December 2022. Finding aid written by Faith Charlton in December 2022 using information provided by Osinski's daughter, Karen Roy. During 2022 processing, two nitrate negatives were digitized and then destroyed.
Captions and descriptions of photographs include racist and dehumanizing language.
Edmund David Osinski (1909-1983) was a U.S military veteran and photographer.
Osinski's service with the Army and Air Force included photographic fieldwork as well as administrative positions in reproduction services, such as the Air Force printing plant at Brookley Air Force Base, Mobile, Alabama, and the John F. Kennedy Space Center's Installation Support, Reproduction Branch, for which he was awarded several awards of distinction.
Early in his career, Osinski served with the U.S. Army Signal Corps. His first assignment was with the Army Pictorial Service in New York, followed by service in Manila in the Philippines from 1931 to 1934. As base photographer, Osinski's duties in Manila were wide-ranging, covering military parades and the visits of military dignitaries, and capturing images of government buildings and landscapes as well as various Indigneous communities.
Throughout his career, Osinski developed multiple photographic printing processes, such as the "Systemat" process, which were adopted by the Air Force and other Department of Defense agencies.
Osinski married Helen Cooper on August 19, 1934; they had nine children.
Captions or descriptions of photographs include racist and dehumanizing language.
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Includes two photographs with the creator-based titles (that were marked on original enclosures), "Moonlight Scene on Bay with Caraboo" with the note "personal copy," and "Lake Taal and Nipa Shack (1932)" with the note "personal."
The original nitrate negatives were destroyed upon digtization due to their hazardous chemistry.