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Catalog Data

Medium:
paper; ink; watercolor
Dimensions:
Height x Width: 4 15/16 x 6 9/16 in. (12.6 x 16.6 cm)
Type:
Covers & Associated Letters
Place of Destination:
New York
Date:
June 5, 1944
Description:
A lush landscape of palm trees and grasses offset the addresses on this watercolor illustrated cover created by Corporal Jack Fogarty. The envelope addressed to his friend Mary MacDonald depicts a touch of the tropics that Mary’s husband John MacDonald and his friend Jack Fogarty were experiencing while stationed in New Guinea. The envelope was passed by the censor and postmarked June 5, 1944. It was sent via airmail for 6 cents (UC3) to New York from APO 322 (Dreger Harbor, New Guinea).
Jack Fogarty served with the US Army’s 98th Evacuation Hospital during World War II. While working in the hospital’s administrative office, Corporal Jack Fogarty (later promoted to Sergeant) struck up a life-long friendship with Chief Warrant Officer John MacDonald and his wife, Mary. Jack and John both wrote regularly to Mary as the war took them to the Pacific Theater. John MacDonald also served as a censor for the unit, and the illustrated covers by Jack Fogarty bear MacDonald’s censor stamp and signature. In his correspondence with Mary, Jack filled the envelopes with scenes in watercolors, ink, and pencil. The illustrated covers show Jack’s life at the Desert Training Center in Yuma, Arizona, and his overseas service in New Guinea, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Japan. In addition to illustrating his personal correspondence, Jack contributed artwork to the 98th Evacuation Hospital’s newsletter, The Bulletin. After the war, Fogarty’s artistic career took him into acting and his prolific correspondence with friends sometimes included illustrations.
References:
Fogarty, John. Little Boy-Short Trousers-Eaton Cap: This I Remember. AuthorHouse, 2005.
Topic:
World War II (1939-1945)  Search this
Covers & Letters  Search this
Object number:
2012.2006.2
See more items in:
National Postal Museum Collection
Data Source:
National Postal Museum
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/hm8b74531d9-0cec-4ad2-b33f-04a9ef2b9dc1
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:npm_2012.2006.2