A Commercial Street in Guangzhou

1880

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art

Dominant colour

A Commercial Street in Guangzhou is a 1880 by Lai Fong (Afong Studio), a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.

Who painted this?: Lai Fong (Afong Studio)
When & what style?: 1880 · Impressionism
Where can I see it?: Cleveland Museum of Art

About this work

You see a busy street in Guangzhou, packed with shops and signs in Chinese characters. A man in a long robe walks fast—his legs blur like he’s moving too quick for the camera. This photo was taken around 1880, when cameras were rare in China. The people staring back at the lens look curious, almost caught off guard. The blur at the bottom left isn’t a mistake; it shows how alive the street really was. If you like old photos of daily life, look up subject: china for more scenes like this.

The story of this work

Overview

Guangzhou, formerly known as Canton, is located on the Pearl River and has for centuries been a center of trade and commerce. The photographer emphasizes the energy and bustle of this street of shops and businesses through the blurred figure in motion at bottom left. Other men peer out to watch the photographer—not a common sight in those days—as he captures their image on film.