Exhibition
The Islands Time Forgot presented an exhibition of historic photographs by renowned American photojournalist David Douglas Duncan (1916-2018), who was among the most influential photographers of the 20th century. Best known for his dramatic war images which were first taken as a staff combat photographer and later for Life magazine, Duncan published numerous iconic photographs of conflicts, including most notably the Korean and Vietnam wars, before going on to publish seven books on the life of Picasso featuring some of the most intimate portraits of the famous artist.
Taken at the outset of his career, the collection of images assembled for The Islands Time Forgot featured some of the earliest recorded photographs of the life of Caymanian fishermen on the Moskito Cays. These landmark images “helped to open Cayman to the rest of the world” when published by National Geographic in August 1943. Organised in partnership with the Cayman Islands National Archive (CINA), the exhibition paid tribute to Captain Allie Ebanks and the crew of the A.M Adams— one of the great Caymanian-built turtle schooners of the 1930s— while commemorating the twilight years of an industry that was once so central to life in our Islands. The 24 stunning original prints, dated 1939, were gifted to the Cayman Islands National Archives by the artist in 1999, and were supplemented for this exhibition by 11 images of Caymanian turtle fishermen drawn from CINA’s own Photographic Collections. Duncan’s photographs had prior to this exhibition never been exhibited in the Cayman Islands. Capturing a moment in history that has long since vanished, the exhibited images provided an insight into the hardships and triumphs of Cayman’s golden generation of turtle fishermen, while simultaneously offering a panoramic view of life in the ‘Islands Time Forgot’.
Thank you to our project partner
About the Artist
David Douglas Duncan
1916–2018
David Douglas Duncan (1916–2018) was among the most influential photographers of the twentieth century. He was best known for his dramatic war images which were first taken when he was a U.S. Marine combat photographer and later for Life magazine. While working with Life, he captured numerous historical events including “the end of the British occupation of India”, the emergence of the Saudi Arabian oil boom, the consequences of the Iron Curtain, and the Vietnam War. Photographs taken by Duncan of the Korean War were featured in his 1951 book This is War! which earned him recognition as the pre-eminent combat photographer of the period. Duncan later went on to publish seven books on the life of Picasso, featuring some of the most intimate portraits of the famous artist.
