John Zumbrun: Beijing street scenes, 1907 to 1929: Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3 Back in 1988, Catherine Curran Gamble wrote in her preface to a book which would publicize her late father's photographic work of China that it was quite by coincidence and accident that her family's visual heritage had just recently been rediscovered. It turns out that in his photographic endevors, <strong>Sidney Gamble</strong>, whose first visit to China falls in the year 1917, had a very skilled precursor, namely, <strong>John D. Zumbrun</strong>. <br/><br/>Comparing many of the images between the two, one discovers similar themes (the horse shoeing image for example, etc.). Zumbrun, of course, had already resided in Beijing long before Gamble arrived, and even longer before <strong>Hedda Morrison</strong> started to roam the streets of Beijing with her Rolleiflex. It is curious, then, that Zumbrun is virtually unknown, although his residency in Beijing covered over 20 mostly uninterrupted years (1907-1929). The reason for this deficit in our knowledge is similar to the one given in Curran Gamble's preface: his photographic oeuvre had been locked away for the better part of 70 years; the archival rediscovery process is just beginning. By way of a simple introduction, Zumbrun was the owner of the commercially very successful store "<strong>CameraCraft</strong>" in the Legation Quarters, the official photographer of many Chinese notables, and quite possibly Kodak's main distributor for northern China.<br/><br/>The street scenes presented here are but a small selection of his work. It goes without saying that he was technically astute, and had a gifted eye for composition. Looking at the printout of his archive which I have on my desk, it is clear that his interests were far reaching, from "the man in the street" to the worker in the cloisonnee factory (images 15 &amp; 16) to the traditional trades and crafts as they were practiced in Beijing at the time. Zumbrun paints an extremely rich and diverse canvass of a quickly changing nation, covering parliamentary sessions, the signing of treaties, Puyi's wedding, student demonstrations, and many other critical events. It is to be hoped that with these pages his work will be made more public and recognized for what it is: the earliest and - barring further discoveries of the same nature - the most complete visual documentation of Beijing of the first quarter of the 20th century. <br/><br/>I am exceedingly grateful to <strong>Mr. Norman Hodgson</strong> and <strong>Mrs. Helen Olson</strong> (John Zumbrun's daughter, born and raised in Beijing) for making the original prints available. Scanned on my Epson 4990 to 800 DPI TIF, further processing (preliminary digital restoration) in Lightroom and Photoshop. <br/><br/>Thomas H. Hahn<br/>Ithaca &amp; Beijing en-us (C) Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:13:30 GMT Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:35:20 GMT Documentary City Scenes http://hahn.zenfolio.com/img/s11/v27/p282056539-10.jpg John Zumbrun: Beijing street scenes, 1907 to 1929: Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3 120 92 Lantern shop http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e10CFD75B

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Lantern shop http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e10CFD75B Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:14:44 GMT Rikschaw boy with passenger http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e82234EB

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Rikschaw boy with passenger http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e82234EB Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:18:42 GMT Horse cart http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e9FBD6

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Horse cart http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e9FBD6 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:34:02 GMT Horse shoeing procedure and crew http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e2E8A439F

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Horse shoeing procedure and crew http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e2E8A439F Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:35:40 GMT Gentleman enjoying a meal http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e4AC0F00

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Gentleman enjoying a meal http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e4AC0F00 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:23:10 GMT Lady with bound feet at the market http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eB2DEF03

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Lady with bound feet at the market http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eB2DEF03 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:28:09 GMT An old guard http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e200E6064

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) An old guard http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e200E6064 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:35:47 GMT The barber I http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eEF643AA

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) The barber I http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eEF643AA Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:25:28 GMT The barber II http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eE824EE4

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) The barber II http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eE824EE4 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:14:44 GMT The grandfather http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e3627AB66

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) The grandfather http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e3627AB66 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:36:08 GMT http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eA6C8F0C

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eA6C8F0C Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:23:21 GMT Curious children http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eD782AF

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Curious children http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eD782AF Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:23:51 GMT Carrying firewood http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e1865E9D0

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Carrying firewood http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e1865E9D0 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:29:22 GMT Curio shop (antique store) http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e8B15A48

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Curio shop (antique store) http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e8B15A48 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:30:40 GMT Cloisonnee workers I http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e4AD1C93

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Cloisonnee workers I http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e4AD1C93 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:29:49 GMT Cloisonnee workers II http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eD5A0AC3

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Cloisonnee workers II http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/eD5A0AC3 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:32:00 GMT One of Beijing's main throughfares http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e1B696991

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) One of Beijing's main throughfares http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e1B696991 Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:14:44 GMT Zhengyang Gate http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e2C60E93C

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Zhengyang Gate http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e2C60E93C Fri, 06 Jan 2012 04:42:58 GMT Train of camels outside the city walls http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e12800F38

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]]> th.hahn@gmail.com (Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images) Train of camels outside the city walls http://hahn.zenfolio.com/zumbrun_3/e12800F38 Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:32:42 GMT