Scope and Contents note

Series III is arranged into two subseries: Domestic Views - United States; and Foreign Views - Guatemala; thereunder it is arranged alphabetically by title or description of view. Each subseries is distinct in both style and composition (Domestic Views are in color, Foreign Views in black and white), having been taken at very different points in Genthe's career; the uniting factor is that both are of landscapes.

Domestic Views - United States are among the last prints Genthe made. In these, he experiments with the newest photographic technique, color photography, which was introduced for transparencies in 1935, just seven years before Genthe's death. It is estimated, then, that these were all taken between 1935 and 1942. Prints range from about 6 by 9 inches to 10 by 8 inches.

In contrast to Genthe's culturally significant shots of turn-of-the-century Chinatown or his dramatic portraits of actresses, dancers, and socialites, these prints are rather less accomplished from a technical point of view. Most are of gardens and trees, a friend's terrace, and a rolling landscape. Only one was taken at night, a colorful explosion of fireworks over the water.

Foreign Views - Guatemala appear to have been taken in 1927 (most of the photos are dated as such). The prints range from approximately 6 inches by 8 inches to 9 1/2 inches by 8 inches. It is likely they were shot in the city of Antigua, which, as Genthe notes in his autobiography, he was "particularly eager to explore"; the mountains in the background of several photographs further indicate this may be Antigua, a city that is set in a valley and surrounded by volcanic mountains. Many of the ten photographs in this subseries feature half-ruined cathedrals. In addition to capturing the ruined churches, Genthe also records some scenes of daily life in 1920s Guatemala: a man leading his oxen as they haul a cart; a woman (parcels balanced on her head) walking with a small boy past a cathedral; a barely clothed child standing on a dock at the edge of the water, palm trees waving overhead.