Original description: "calcutta boasts the third largest cantielver bridge in the world. Its real importance, however, lies in
the fact that it serves as calcutta's gateway to the wese, being the city's only bridge spanning the hooghly. Taking 7 years to build, it cost $10,000,000. It towers 310 feet as the city's highes structure, is 2,150 feet long with a center span of 1,500 feet. It was completed in 1942, opened in february, 1943. "
the south asia section of the van pelt library, university of pennsylvania recently acquired from a bookdealer a photograph album consisting of 60 photographs of calcutta taken most likely between 1945-1946. The photographer, mr. Clyde waddell, also provided the interesting glosses accompanying each photograph. Several attested copies of this work has emerged including one with a 'title page' held by the southeastern louisiana university in hammond, louisiana. Mr. Waddell was a military photographer. Many of his captions sound like annotations that would be found in a typical military magazine. The album begins with several general long shots of calcutta and ends with a picture of dhobi-s (washermen) washing clothes. The text accompanying the last photograph also sounds as if the author intended to finish with that picture of one of the "great mysteries of india. " the annotations have been included because of their intrinsic interest not only to the photographs but to a 'typical' american impression of india at this time. Date: Taken in 1945.
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