An original 7x9" vintage photo (NOT a modern reprint) from a rare U.S. Marine Corps photo collection compiled by friend of the USMC, Marion Fischer.

This original, first-generation photo is from a massive photo collection compiled by Mrs Marion Fischer. It contained over 500 mostly USMC press and personal photos spanning from Pearl Harbor through the Korean War. Much of her collection is now part of the USMC archives referenced as Coll/858. Other parts of it, such as this photo collection, were sold by her estate.

Photo Overview

A dynamic 1948 official USMC press photo capturing a squad of U.S. Marines charging through shallow water during a training exercise at boot camp. Seven Marines in field uniforms and distinctive campaign covers (pith-style hats) are shown mid-stride, rifles raised, drenching themselves as they power through a wide, shallow waterway toward the camera. The image perfectly conveys the intensity and physicality of Marine Corps training in the postwar era.

This is an Official Photograph from the U.S. Marine Corps Public Relations Section. It comes from the estate collection of Mrs. Marion Fischer, a noted friend of the USMC whose collection of over 500 Navy and USMC photos spanning Pearl Harbor through the Korean War is partly preserved in the USMC archives as Coll/858.

Historical Notes

This photo was taken in 1948, a pivotal period for the Marine Corps. Following World War II, the USMC fought hard to preserve its institutional identity against proposed military unification plans that threatened to absorb or reduce the Corps. The National Security Act of 1947 had reorganized U.S. military structure, and Marines worked diligently to demonstrate their continued relevance and combat readiness through highly publicized training exercises like the one depicted here. That effort paid off dramatically: when the Korean War broke out in June 1950, the Marines were among the first and most effective fighting forces deployed, performing the legendary Inchon Landing in September 1950 and the grueling Chosin Reservoir campaign that winter - events that cemented the Corps' reputation for generations.

Text Present

Back of photo (handwritten in cursive, upper area): "Marines run through water"

Back of photo (handwritten in cursive, center/lower area): "Marines charge on imaginary enemy at 'boot camp.' 1948"

Back of photo (rubber stamp, right side, vertical): "Official Photograph / U.S. Marine Corps / Public Relations Section, ER"

Print analysis

This is a Type 1 original photograph. The back bears an official U.S. Marine Corps Public Relations Section stamp, consistent with a first-generation press print issued in or very close to 1948. The silver gelatin print shows tonality and surface texture consistent with late-1940s photographic paper. The handwritten caption notes and date of 1948 on the back align with the image content and the known date range of the Marion Fischer collection. No evidence of later reproduction or reprinting is present.

Condition

Fair to good vintage condition. Please see photos. The back side has remnants of having been glued into a scrapbook.