Sgt. J.G. Rodriguez

Hoshida, George [ bio ]

Description

2 drawings on paper, laminated (1 sheet) : ink, pencil ; left image 4 x 2.875 in., right image 4 x 2.875 in., on sheet 6 x 9.5 in.

Ink portraits of two caucasian men, Sgt. J. G. Rodriguez and Sgt. Sam Hall, at Lordsburg Justice Department Camp, New Mexico. Both drawings have black line borders drawn over pencil.
Left portrait of J. G. Rodriguez, United States Army Sergeant of Austin, Texas. Rodriguez is turned slightly to the right and looks directly at the viewer. Dressed in a button-down shirt with open collar and sergeant stripes on proper right sleeve, he is clean shaven with curly hair.
Right portrait of Sam Hall, United States Army Sergeant of Gordon, Alabama. Hall is turned slightly to the left and looks directly at the viewer through hexagonal rimmed glasses. He wears a button-down shirt open at collar. His hair is parted on proper left and lips are pursed.

Caption
Hoshida was one of the seven to nine hundred Japanese Americans in Hawaii who were incarcerated in Justice Department internment camps. He was acutely aware of the importance of recording his experiences through the pen and ink drawings and watercolors he made during his incarceration in five different locations. While Hoshida did not attempt to make any overt commentary on the interment, his drawings and sketches provide a continuous and detailed account of daily activities and his long journey from Hilo, Hawaii, to the desert of Arizona.

Inscription
Written in black ink below left image: Sgt. J. G. Rodriguez 303 1/2 Navosata St. / Austin Texas. Written in black ink below right image: Sgt. Sam Hall / Gordan, Alabama.

All requests for permission to publish, reproduce, or quote from materials in this collection must be submitted to the Hirasaki National Resource Center at the Japanese American National Museum (hnrc@janm.org).