July 13-15, 2021 Collectible Firearms & Militaria
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/15/2021
Official facsimiles of the documents related to the unconditional surrender of Japan at the end of World War II that are attributed to Arthur Gilbert Hutton who was a combat photographer in the US Army during World War II. This set of documents is composed of 3 parts, a booklet that includes facsimiles of all of the major documents regarding Japan’s unconditional surrender, full size copy of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender which contains both the Japanese and English translation, and smaller parchment copy of the Instrument of Surrender to the Commanding General of the US Army in the Western Pacific. These documents were purchased from Hutton when his Photo Art Studio that he opened after returning from World War II closed in 1976. When the Japanese surrendered, Hutton was one of the photographers sent to the USS Missouri for the signing ceremony. The Surrender Documents in Facsimile booklet is dated 1945, and according to provenance these documents were given to Hutton during the time of the surrender. This set of documents is accompanied by a Statement of Provenance, which is notarized and dated July 20, 2020. The documents exhibit age that is typical of old paper which includes small creases, staining, and slight tears, especially around the edges. All of the writing remains legible. Despite the blemishes, the documents are well preserved. CONDITION: Good. JLD
Item Dimensions: 18 - 1/2" x 13"