LIFE Magazine: Images of the Dominican Republic 1940s-1960s

NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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The American magazine LIFE recently published hundreds of archived photos from decades ago, of which 200 are related to the DR. They are in public domain available at the link at the end of this post.

Here are a few photos:

May 1963: Juan Bosch threatening invasion of Haiti to protect interests of Dominican Republic.
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December 1959: Dominican boys playing happily in Ciudad Trujillo.
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November 1959: During the trial of a group of Cubans, who claim to have been trained by the Castro army, and say they have been duped into the invasion of the Dominican Republic.
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May 09, 1965: American soldiers standing guard in front of food distribution ctr., whose wall is painted w. message: YANKEES COME BACK, where they assist native residents during civil unrest.
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December 1959: The Peace of Trujillo Monument in Santiago
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December 1959: Basilica de la Ntra. Sra. de la Altagracia in Higuey.
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October 1961: Dominican women meet members of the OAS Human Rights Commission to protest police burtality.
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December 1959: Prisoners cutting grass with machetes at Hotel Embajador, Ciudad Trujillo.
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December 1959: Aerial view of the obelisk in Ciudad Trujillo built by Trujillo in celebration of paying the country's debt.
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(not dated): Rafael Leonidas Trujillo at the main entrance to the National Palace, Ciudad Trujillo.
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1939: President of the Dominican Republic General Rafael L. Trujillo, making a toast with Haitian Minister Lescot. Notice, this photo was taken 2 years after the massacre.
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See more by clicking here.

-NALs
 
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JRMirador

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December 1959: Aerial view of the obelisk in Ciudad Trujillo built by Trujillo in celebration of paying the country's debt.

NALs, the picture below this caption is not the monument in question. This obelisk actually conmemorates the changing of the name of Santo Domingo to Ciudad Trujillo in 1935.

The monument conmemorating the signing of the treaty between U.S. Secretary of State Cordell Hull and Rafael Trujillo in 1940, is the one popularly called "Obelisco Hembra" because of it's likeness to two upright female legs. Here's a picture of both, the monument and the signing of the treaty.

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Chirimoya

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Dec 9, 2002
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Great photos NALs. Are you sure they got the Basilica construction date right, though? I thought it was a Balaguer project - no Google-fu right now but I would have guessed 69, not 59.
 

bob saunders

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Great photos NALs. Are you sure they got the Basilica construction date right, though? I thought it was a Balaguer project - no Google-fu right now but I would have guessed 69, not 59.

La Basilica was inaugurated the 21st of January of 1971, and it was built by French architects (same as many other Dominican monuments) to substitute the antique sanctuary built back in 1572. Its name is due to La Virgen de la Altagracia, the Patron Saint of the Dominicans; in La Basilica you?ll find the spectacular image of the Virgin that is 45cm tall and 33,5cm wide; the painting was made in the 15th century by a Spanish painter.
 

DavidZ

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Great pictures. It's amazing the difference in the Malecon in SD and Santiago Monument areas then vs. now. The Malecon especially, looks beautiful.

...and Bosch was one scary looking dude!
 

NALs

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Great photos NALs. Are you sure they got the Basilica construction date right, though? I thought it was a Balaguer project - no Google-fu right now but I would have guessed 69, not 59.
That project was started by Trujillo and was completed and inaugurated by Balaguer. It took well over a decade from beginning to end.

-NALs
 

NALs

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Jan 20, 2003
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Great pics NALs. I really am amazed at the difference in Santiago from that pic to today.
It puts into perspective how much the country has grown in infrastructure and, consequently, economically all from the 1960s onwards. Amazing! Look at the photo of Higuey, today all that area around the basilica is fully urbanized!

Santiago in 1959:
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Santiago in 2008:
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Another nice thing about looking at pictures from yesteryear is looking at the people and simply wondering about how has their lives been since then. For example, these kids in 1959:

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All of them are now in the 50s and 60s. Ha ha


-NALs