Tai Beng, Peking - Photograph of fellow townsmen from Kaiping living in Beijing ... [民國七年旅京開平同鄉攝影]

Ancient Chinese photography – Kaiping / Beijing – Republic of China – 1918

Rare photograph of a Chinese group dating from the 7th year of the Republic of China, i.e. 1918.

The inscription visible above the group seems to refer to a commemorative photograph gathering compatriots from Kaiping living in Beijing.

The shot shows a large group of men and women posing in front of a building. The varied clothing, traditional Chinese for some and Western-inspired for others, provides an interesting testimony of China in the early 20th century.

Photograph dimensions: 27.5 × 22.5 cm.
Frame dimensions: 41.5 × 34.5 cm.

The photograph is kept in its old mounted frame, with handwritten inscriptions visible on the backing. Together in its old condition, showing signs of age, stains, wear and tears of the mounting paper, notably in the lower part. These defects are visible in the photographs.

Interesting historical and ethnographic document from the Republic of China period.

Dating: 1918
Origin: China