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Catalog Data

Artist:
Frederick William McDarrah, 5 Nov 1926 - 6 Nov 2007  Search this
Sitter:
Albert Saijo, 4 Feb 1926 - 2 June 2011  Search this
Medium:
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions:
Image: 24.6 × 19.5 cm (9 11/16 × 7 11/16")
Sheet: 25.7 × 20.2 cm (10 1/8 × 7 15/16")
Type:
Photograph
Place:
United States\New York\Kings\New York
Date:
December 10, 1959
Exhibition Label:
Born Los Angeles, California
The poet Albert Saijo was one of only two Asian American writers associated with the Beat movement. Of Japanese American descent, Saijo and his family were incarcerated during World War II at the Heart Mountain Relocation Center. While there, he enlisted in the U.S. Army and served in Italy with the famous “Nisei” battalion. Afterward, Saijo worked on collaborative and performative projects with fellow writers in northern California’s loosely knit Beat community.
In 1959, Saijo joined the writers Jack Kerouac and Lew Welch on an impromptu, cross-country road trip from San Francisco to New York City. The freewheeling trio careened across the country by jeep before reaching Greenwich Village. They made the rounds of that bohemian enclave, visiting Allen Ginsberg and hanging out at the Cedar Bar. The Village Voice photojournalist Fred W. McDarrah included this image from the famous trip in his 1960 book, The Beat Scene.
Nacido en Los Ángeles, California
El poeta Albert Saijo fue uno de solo dos escritores asiáticos-americanos asociados con el movimiento beat. De ascendencia japonesa-americana, Saijo y su familia fueron internados durante la II Guerra Mundial en el Centro de Reubicación de Heart Mountain. Estando allí se alistó en el ejército de EE.UU. y sirvió en Italia con el famoso batallón “nisei”. Más tarde trabajó en proyectos colaborativos y performances con compañeros escritores en la comunidad beat del norte de California.
En 1959, Saijo se unió a los escritores Jack Kerouac y Lew Welch en un viaje improvisado por carretera desde San Francisco hasta Nueva York. El despreocupado trío cruzó el país en jeep hasta llegar a Greenwich Village. En ese enclave bohemio hicieron la ronda usual, visitando a Allen Ginsberg y luego el Cedar Bar. El fotoperiodista del Village Voice Fred W. McDarrah incluyó esta imagen del famoso viaje en su libro de 1960, The Beat Scene.
Topic:
Interior  Search this
Home Furnishings\Furniture  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Eyeglasses  Search this
Printed Material\Document  Search this
Home Furnishings\Drinking vessel\Glass  Search this
Home Furnishings\Furniture\Seating\Couch  Search this
Costume\Dress Accessory\Belt  Search this
Albert Saijo: Male  Search this
Albert Saijo: Literature\Writer\Poet  Search this
Portrait  Search this
Credit Line:
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
Object number:
NPG.2015.124
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
Copyright:
© Estate of Fred W. McDarrah
See more items in:
National Portrait Gallery Collection
Location:
Currently not on view
Data Source:
National Portrait Gallery
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm4f397a8de-7532-4bd7-9f58-25a8bffa8af7
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npg_NPG.2015.124