When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Japanese Troops Gas Masks Urban Advance - Shanghai Combat Scene - c1937 Photo
Size:approximately 3.5 inches by 2.7 inchesThis original Japanese wartime photo shows three troops wearing gas masks and advancing in an urban environment during the 1937 fighting in Shanghai. Each soldier carries a rifle with bayonet fixed, and their forward motion suggests a dynamic moment of street combat or movement under hazardous conditions. The building behind them provides a clear urban backdrop, which is consistent with known fighting zones in Shanghai during the early Sino Japanese War.
The use of gas masks in Shanghai is historically documented. Japanese forces, including both Army infantry and Special Naval Landing Force units, were photographed wearing protective masks during operations in 1937. While the exact unit cannot be confirmed from this single frame, the equipment and setting align with known imagery from the Battle of Shanghai, of Japanese troops advancing through streets and rubble while equipped for chemical or smoke hazards, making this an example of Shanghai combat photography.
This print is a collotype, a photomechanical continuous tone process widely used in Japan during the 1930s for high quality prints of news and military imagery. Collotype prints were often included in commemorative sets, patriotic albums and wartime publications. Although collotype is not a gelatin silver album print, it remains a period original and reflects the printing technology used to distribute dramatic combat imagery to the public during the early Sino Japanese War. The subject matter, showing gas masked troops in motion, is significantly more dramatic than typical collotype content.
The image is uncommon in the collector market. Gas mask combat scenes from Shanghai 1937 are highly sought after, and while several well known press photographs exist, this specific three soldier composition does not appear in major public archives or common collotype sets. The dynamic posture of the troops and the clear urban background add visual strength, and the print’s period production makes it a desirable example of early war Japanese combat photography. The combination of gas masks, rifles, bayonets and urban movement contributes to its rarity within collotype material.
Those most interested in this photo:
- Collectors of Japanese wartime photography from the Sino Japanese War
- Researchers studying the Battle of Shanghai and urban combat in 1937
- Historians focused on Japanese Army and Special Naval Landing Force operations
- Archivists building collections of gas mask and chemical warfare imagery
- Specialists in early twentieth century photomechanical printing processes
- Museums documenting pre World War II East Asian military history
Please inspect the pictures, as they give the best representation of condition. May have discoloring, edge or corner wear, marks, creases, fading, smudges, corner or edge bends, tears, or corners missing.
(Inventory #B36)
