Page 20 - Swann Galleries - Fine Photographs - Sale 2304 - February 26, 2013

8 ● (CHINA) JOHN THOMSON, ET ALIA
Mini-collection of 78 rare cartes-de-visite portraits in “en plein air” or studio settings by
various photographers, including JohnThomson (Hong Kong) andYiYung (Hong Kong);
On-Qua (Shangahi), Ye Chung (Shanghai), and Hing-Qua (Shanghai). The range of
subjects includes street tradesmen, religious figures, women, and mandarin officials in
locations throughout China, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Soochow; 44 are hand-
colored, and many contain a handwritten caption on mount verso identifying the person’s
trade or a calligraphic hand stamp (in Chinese); with Fong Chow’s notations, in pencil,
including his translations (in English and Chinese), on the mounts or mats. 1860s-1870s
[6,000/9,000]
From the Estate of Fong Chow.
Although a few of the photographers’ names and addresses appear in English, Fong Chow
also researched credits appearing in Chinese and identified additional photographers. In
addition, there are many compelling outdoor portraits by a talented, if unidentified,
photographer of a variety of subjects, such as a sweetmeat peddler, barber, laborer, broomseller,
beggar, gardner, vegetable peddler, servant, and farmer, as well as a host of studio occupational
portraits, both hand-colored and uncolored, in addition to august interior studies of aristocratic
women and imperial men.