“In early 1945, Lt. Victor Jorgensen (1913–1994), a Portland native, photographed on the hospital ship USS Solace. During World War II, the Solace traveled between Pearl Harbor and various South Pacific locations. Jorgensen’s photographs depict the skilled care that the doctors, nurses, and crew provided while at sea on a ship that was unarmed and often unescorted. This spirit of selflessness and greater good is echoed today, as the USNS Comfort and USNS Mercy, now docked in New York City and Los Angeles, offer critical relief to overburdened health centers dealing with COVID-19 emergencies.”
—Julia Dolan, The Minor White Curator of Photography
Victor Jorgensen (American, 1914-1994), Untitled (refueling from Lexington, Dec. 1943), 1943, gelatin silver print, image: 8 11/16 in x 7 11/16 in; sheet: 10 in x 8 3/16 in, Gift of Victoria Jorgensen Carman and Lee Jorgensen, 2019.79.27
