LOVE IN COLLAGE: A WWII ERA HAND-ILLUSTRATED PHOTO ALBUM BY A U.S. NAVY SAILOR AND HIS WIFE Original Art,Photo Albums

Robert Riley Scarlott (1914 1989) and Albertine Hershberger Scarlott (1917 2013) 30 leaves with 108 photographs (plus 5 loose prints); album measures 8.25 × 9.25 inches; bound with brown cord through grommeted boards of mottled ochre paper. Front cover titled Robert Riley Scarlott Photographs in black ink, with a small mounted portrait of Scarlott in uniform; edges reinforced with vintage Scotch tape. A strikingly personal WWII-era photo album made by U.S. Navy sailor Robert R. Scarlott of Canton, Ohio and his wife Albertine Hershberger Scarlott, filled with playful collage, hand-drawn illustration, and tender scenes of home life. Although created during wartime, the imagery focuses on affection, family, and the rhythms of domesticity an act of love and reassurance across distance. Collage & Illustration: Many pages feature original pen-and-ink embellishments surrounding the photographs. In one remarkable spread, a cut-out photograph of Albertine in a white dress is placed in a drawn park scene while a kneeling sailor sketches or photographs her a romantic visual metaphor of longing and connection. Lettered Page "Home Sweet Home": Framed with decorative flourishes around family portraits and the Scarlotts bungalow-style house. Geometric Layouts: Prints arranged in inventive shapes, bordered by drawn "frames" that imitate wood grain and architectural detail. Hand-Tinted Portraits: Four prints delicately colored, including a particularly vivid half-length portrait of Albertine with pink cheeks and a green dress. Whimsy & Character: Captions on verso read "Me and Mitzi, 1944" (Albertine with her cat) and "Guess who." Several photographs are cut and collaged with playful intent. Dated references to Easter 1942 and Marlboro, Ohio 1944 situate the album during Robert s Navy service. The photographs depict Albertine, relatives, homes, pets, and quiet street scenes around Canton everyday life rendered with warmth and artistic humor. A handmade Christmas greeting card addressed to Robert & Albertine Scarlott from Berlin and Canton is tucked into the front, connecting home and wartime correspondence. Five additional photographs are loose at the rear. Robert Riley Scarlott, born 1914 in Canton, Ohio, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II. His wife, Albertine Hershberger Scarlott (1917 2013), appears throughout the album as muse and collaborator. Together they created this hybrid of love letter, scrapbook, and photo diary an inventive, intimate testament to wartime devotion. Condition: Boards rubbed; corners and spine edges stabilized with early tape; interior leaves clean and well-preserved; five photographs detached.