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Finding aid for the Michel de Maynard lantern slides of early twentieth-century
China
2002.R.43
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Title: Michel de Maynard lantern slides of early twentieth-century China
Date (inclusive): 1906-1912
Number: 2002.R.43
Creator/Collector:
Maynard, Michel de
Physical Description:
3.5 Linear Feet
(230 lantern slides in 7 boxes)
Repository:
The Getty Research Institute
Special Collections
1200 Getty Center Drive, Suite 1100
Los Angeles 90049-1688
reference@getty.edu
URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10020/askref
(310) 440-7390
Abstract: 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.
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Language: Collection material is in French.
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.
The few facts known about de Maynard are gleaned from the personal documents reproduced in
the present collection and pertain specifically to at least part of his time in China. These
documents include his French-Chinese passport issued by the Bureau of Foreign Affairs in
Shaanxi province; his Chinese passport, dated September 1912; his Chinese-language calling
card; and a Chinese-language contract for the rental of wagons and equipment required for a
lengthy journey. The documents indicate that Maynard was granted permission to live, preach
and conduct daily business in Shaanxi province, and that when he left China he traveled from
the Shaanxi prefecture city of Hsing-an-fu to Peking (Beijing),and thence to the Shandong
port city of Yen T'ai. Maynard is pictured in several slides: in number 5 he appears dressed
"en chinois" and in number 7 he appears with a group of church officials and clerics.
Contact
Library Reproductions and Permissions .
Michel de Maynard lantern slides of early twentieth-century China, 1906-1912, The Getty
Research Institute, Los Angeles, Accession no. 2002.R.43.
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/cifa2002r43
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Acquired in 2002.
The collection was processed and cataloged with an item-level inventory by Beth Ann Guynn
in 2004 with translations and notes provided by Gang Song. The finding aid was written by
Guynn in 2017 and encoded by her and Linda Kleiger in 2017.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection was digitized by the repository in 2019 and the images are available
online:
http://hdl.handle.net/10020/2002r43
Scope and Content of Collection
The collection of 230 lantern slides taken by Michel de Maynard, a French Franciscan
missionary serving 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 aspects of the 1911 revolution.
At the beginning of the collection are several slides reproducing Maynard's personal
documents, such as his passports and Chinese-language calling card. Maynard appears in
several images (slides 5 and 7 for example). Also included are slides of maps of China and
the Franciscan apostolate.
The Catholic missions in China as well as native Chinese religious practices are
documented. There are several slides of Western clerics, missionaries, and nuns. Groups of
adult converts, school children, and missionary bands are posed in front of churches and
Sunday schools. The influence of missionary work on the Chinese population is evident in a
view of two Chinese women praying at an altar, with pictures of the life of Christ in the
background (number 17), and a slide of a Chinese scroll containing a liturgical prayer or
scriptural quotation (number 21). Chinese religions are represented in views of pagodas and
shrines and statues of the Buddha, Taoist deities, and guardian spirits. People are shown
making offerings at local Buddhist shrines. Groups of monks include an image of
newly-ordained monks outside a Taoist shrine (number 65). Intertwined with religious
practice are slides showing the tombs of important personages and slides documenting
funerary customs, such as mourners in front of a Buddhist pagoda (number 88), a mourner
burning paper money offerings (number 87), and funerary processions (numbers 89 and 90).
The revolution of 1911 and its effects on the country and people of China are also
well-represented. There are portraits of local leaders of the revolution in Shaanxi and a
portrait of General Yuan Shikai before he became provisional president of the Republic
(number 173). The caption for the Buddhist pagoda Liao-yuan-T'a identifies it as "c'est
tramé la révolution de Zhensi" (number 60). Scenes from the revolution include the removal
of queues, imprisoned imperial soldiers, executions, and views of shattered buildings,
churches, and fortresses. The rise of the "militarists" in Shaanxi can be seen in images of
local militias; officials and police; soldiers and officers; barracks; military schools and
headquarters; military bands; processions; military maneuvers; and battalions in formation.
A group portrait of five young upper class women identifies them as "victimes de la
révolution de 1911" (number 433).
Representations of Chinese people include studio portraits of upper class individuals and
families; scholars; nobles; and officials. There are a few formal portraits of persons from
the lower classes, as well as many informal images and genre scenes depicting daily
activities and occupations. The western influence in China is evidenced in small details of
clothing and objects, and even in the types of poses chosen and the more direct gazes on the
faces of some of the subjects.
The collection is arranged in a single series:
Series I. Lantern slides, 1906-1912.
Yuan, Shikai, 1859-1916 --
Portraits
Clothing and dress -- China
Executions and executioners -- China
Funeral rites and ceremonies -- China
Missionaries -- China
Missions -- China
Occupations -- China
Pagodas -- China
Buddhist sculpture -- China
Scholars -- China
Shrines -- China
China -- Description and travel
China -- History -- Qing dynasty, 1644-1912
Shaanxi Sheng (China) -- Description and travel
China -- History -- Republic, 1912-1949
China -- History -- Revolution, 1911-1912
China -- Religion
Lantern slides -- China -- 20th century
Photographs, Original
Studio portraits -- China -- 20th century
Maynard, Michel de