Description
Lantern slides taken by Michel de
Maynard, a Franciscan missionary in China, document Chinese culture and missionary activity
during the last days of the Qing dynasty, the revolution of 1911, and the birth of the
Chinese Republic, notably in Shaanxi province. Subjects include landscapes, buildings,
cultural monuments, formal and informal portraits, scenes of daily life, religious and
cultural practices, and the revolution of 1911.
Background
Michel de Maynard was a Franciscan missionary posted in China in the early
twentieth-century from at least 1906 to 1912. His travels across north China coincided with
the decline of the Chinese empire and the Qing dynasty and the beginnings of the Republic of
China, including the revolution of 1911.