CHINESE PHOTO ALBUM, COMMEMMORATING THE VISIT & WELCOMING OFTHE AMERICAN MERCHAN

[China c.1897.]Half leather over brocade silk, most of spine gone, else very good, 69 b.w. photos, most are 14.5 x 9 cm., some panoramas 8.5 x 30 cm., one large photo 27 x 21.5 cm., all edge gilt, clean & solid copy. * Q U I T E R A R E * . *** **** *** . . AN ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHIC ALBUM OF AMERICAN MERCHANTS . . . IN CHINA, [1897] . * A very unusual album of photographs showing the tour of what appears to be American Business community members & their wives. Arrival in Kwantung [Guangdong i.e. Canton], tour of the Ming tombs, a panoramic ! With visits to some of the famous sights in China. . * Photos of early Canton area, sea coast, the Great Wall, a trip up the Yangtze River, city streets, river/canal scenes, elegant banquets with High Chinese military & political figures. . Of outstanding nature is the last & largest photograph depicts a grand photograph showing all of the members of the group of American & Kwantung Chinese Merchant Advisory Board. A stunning and classic commemorative photograph. . * Also excellent images of an early and primitive Macao, lovely panoramas of that old Portuguese city, the hills around city, river & bay with the city rising up the gentle slope, with a good number of old Chinese junks anchored in the harbor. Again, there are not captions, we believe this group of photos can be Macao, we are not 100% sure. . * The Chinese title above the grand panorama reads: "Guang Dong Zhi Xin Ju Haun Yin Mei Guo Sang Hui Ji Nian:" "IN COMMEMORATION OF THE WELCOMING OF THE AMERICAN MERCHANT ASSOCIATION BY THE CANTON ADVISORY BOARD." . * Consists of about 22 pages of tipped in clear, bright & good focus original photographs. The most fascinating of them is the last group memorial photo of the Canton Advisory Board & all of the Americans & their wives, as posed for the camera. In the front row are what one may assume are the most prominent and important members. . * Central to one American who has a striking resemblance to the Roosevelt [yes the Famous Roosevelt’s !!!] family, is a very gaunt & small Chinese holding a long stick, with a flag, wearing a traditional long Chinese robe. One other Chinese is seated in the front row, and he is a be speckled solid man with an alert bearing. Other members are standing behind in ordered rows, with an occasional American naval officer peering from the left and a few small bewildered Chinese boys peeking in from the far right side. . Many of the members hold some sort of a commemorative flag, with the Advisory Board name embroidered upon it. Probably used as a 'guide-on' while touring so the foreigners would not get lost. . * The whole group is standing before a most handsome and great Chinese architectural building with elaborate windows. . The album is without any text or captions whatsoever. Based on the title found on the last photograph, one can deduce the activities of the visitors and their guides. . Of particular interest is a nice photo of a Chinese altar. This has an embroidered cloth over it, with Chinese [Hanzi] characters reading: "Guan Xi Er Si San Nian Men [?] Ji dan: "Twenty-third year of Guangxi i.e. 1897, Birthday to indicate an auspicious day for a religious festive day, thus the Chinese brought the Americans to the temple to celebrate the happy occasion. . * Other photographs clearly represent a graphic record of the arrival to Canton, the places the American merchants were guided to by the Advisory Board members. . Archaeological monuments, old shrines, the Great Wall [indicating a trip to the North near Beijing], temples, Ming tombs, with a host of wonderful street scenes, probably Macau & Hong Kong views, photos of the local Chinese and the jaunty Americans in straw hats, canes, spats, while the American women wore great hats, long skirts and long-sleeved white blouses as the posed for the camera. They were often conveyed in mule-drawn carts with a Chinese groom leading them. . * Other travel was by ship up and down the canals of Canton, photos of the Government buildings, altars, roof tops [from their hotel room ??] showing the city, the bay with ships, a trip up the Yangtze River [?] or some other great river in a motor boat, showing their Occidental crew beside a very well set table. . A poignant view of slow-paced China of a the past century. . *** RARITY: Albums of this subject & period, are always SCARCE. Contains original period photographs and views of China, Beijing, adjacent areas, Macao, and Hong Kong. A lovely record taken by a member of the American group.. . *** The photographs are without captions. There are a few penciled words indicating what the scenery is, however, these appears not to be contemporary with the photos. It is our approximation, guess to the location and scenery in the album. Some well-known sights we can easily identified, others are an 'educated guess' and we are therefore uncertain as to the exact location. "Caveat Emptor" applies, we do not guarantee locations cited above. . *** Color photos are posted to our website. . *** CONDITION: Japanese Meiji period typical album binding. The album is bound in the original half-calf, with gold-stamped decorations, over Japanese brocade calico silk cloth, the leather spine is not present. All page edges are guilt, with the typical Japanese gilt-flecked end papers. . There is usual corner wear, and a few wear spots on both the front and rear covers, with a bit of the board showing through. There is typical minor scuff, wear to the covers. By and large this is much better than the usual period bindings. The album edges are beveled with rounded corners as issued. . The photographs appear to be gently and partially laid down most likely using some kind of 'rice glue’ paste, on gray boards. The last 3 pages are blank, but show evidence of photo corners being present, no photos here. . *** . .