On this day in 1942, Executive Order 9066 was signed, forcing over 120,000 Japanese Americans into concentration camps. Among the internees were individuals who embraced photography as an important means of artistic expression in the 1920s and 1930s. Little Tokyo in Los Angeles was an important nexus for Japanese-American photographers. Some operated commercial studios while others were members of the Japanese Camera Pictorialists of California (JCPC), a club that provided a gathering place and sense of camaraderie for hobbyists who created beautiful prints for submission to local, national, and international exhibitions and publications. Prints such as these by were widely exhibited and published. Executive Order 9066 brought an abrupt halt to this thriving activity. Photographers had to destroy, hide, or store their prints and equipment with trusted acquaintances. Many of them abandoned their profession or passion following incarceration during World War II. For more from Japane...