Photograph Album, Shanghai in the 1930's

EXTRAORDINARY DOCUMENTATION OF LOST ARCHITECTURE, TRADITIONS

[PHOTOGRAPHY - 20TH CENTURY]. ALBUM OF 111 ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS: SHANGHAI IN THE 1930s. (Photographer unknown) Gelatin silver prints mounted in black photo corners. 111 original photographs, a vernacular album of Shanghai in the mid-thirties. The quality and condition of the photographs are excellent. Although the images range in size from 1 7/8 x 2 3/8 to 5 1/2 x 3 1/8 inches, they contain a world of information: vanished skylines, Deco architecture; people at work, at leisure and with family; temple interiors; waterways and canals; rice fields and farming equipment; and in general, the steady hand and curious mind of the unknown photographer, who in capturing these moments, would often engage his or her subjects, eliciting smiles and curious glances. There is evidence of the colonial perspective in some of the neatly hand-lettered captions. While the majority of the images are well- composed and technically very good, there are a surprising number of truly superior photographs which wholly capture the feel, bustle, sights and traditions of 1930s Shanghai. $7,500.00 #84101

Additional images available upon request.