Michael Lehr Antiques
Live Auction

Spring Photographic History Auction

Sat, May 3, 2025 01:00PM EDT
Lot 339

Chinese Group Portrait by Yung Kuang, ca. Early 20th Century

Estimate: $100 - $200

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Original silver gelatin photograph of an unidentified Chinese group, measuring 5½" x 7¾", mounted on a 9½" x 12½" gray studio board with embossed photographer's signature at lower right: Yung Kuang, Peking. The image shows a diverse group of eleven individuals—ten men and one woman—posed outdoors in front of dense shrubbery and a brick wall, suggesting a courtyard setting, possibly academic or institutional.

Several of the men wear long traditional Chinese robes, while one central figure in a Western business suit may be an instructor or administrator. The lone woman wears a modest uniform or tunic, and her prominent placement may indicate a pioneering role, such as the first female among an all-male cohort, possibly in education or medicine.

Yung Kuang (sometimes romanized as Rong Guang) was a noted photographer active in early Republican-era China, known for formal studio and institutional portraiture. His work is increasingly valued for its documentation of elite and academic Chinese life during a transformative period bridging Qing traditions and modern republican influences.

The image is rich in visual detail and social clues—an evocative, well-composed portrait that likely reflects the intellectual, reformist, or educational class in Peking during the early 20th century. An excellent and scarce example of early modern Chinese photographic portraiture by a known professional studio.

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