Michael Lehr Antiques
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Spring Photographic History Auction

Sat, May 3, 2025 01:00PM EDT
  2025-05-03 13:00:00 2025-05-03 13:00:00 America/New_York Michael Lehr Michael Lehr : Spring Photographic History Auction https://auction.michaellehrantiques.com/auctions/michael-lehr-antiques/spring-photographic-history-auction-19217
Raw, rare, and unforgettable—this is 19th- and early 20th-century photography at its best. Vernacular portraits, Native American warriors, African American resilience, Mormon pioneers, Western frontier families, and stark post-mortem scenes. Daguerreotypes, ambrotypes, tintypes, CDVs, and cabinet cards that capture real life without filters. Every image tells a story of survival, pride, and change. A museum-worthy collection for those who know real American history when they see it.
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Lot 339

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

Estimate: $100 - $200
Starting Bid
$50

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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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