Beauty old Postcards From Early China
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  • German Postcards
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  • Different poses on the postcards
    • Reclining on a bench
    • Standing
    • Sit and face to right side
  • Detail of the Chinese Beauty
    • Make up
    • Manchurian Hair Styles
    • High Collars
    • Bound Feet
  • Hidden Clues in Postcards
    • Floor Coverings
    • Cups in Postcards
    • Clocks in Postcards
    • Things Held in the Hands >
      • Handkerchiefs
      • Flowers
      • Fans
      • Books
      • Mirrors in the Pictures
  • Ethnic Minorities in China
    • Miao Ethnic Group
    • Bai Ethnic Group
  • The Stories Behind the Postcards
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  • The Hairpin Museum
  • 100 Beauties in China in 1900s

Western Clocks in Postcards

Just as western style teacups and teapots were used as "props" in many photographic studios, sometimes a western mantle clock was included in staged interior scenes to make the photograph more interesting and to lend a touch of high class to the image. In the top three images (below) the same clock has been used in different settings. This may be a clue that all the different scenes were photographed in the same studio. Alternatively, this may have been a popular and relatively cheap imported clock. Counting from the top left image to the bottom right: numbers six to eleven are the same clock. On two of them (eight and nine) the clock can be seen to tell the same time - but on closer inspection it is clear that it is the same photograph, with one of them being hand-coloured. Image number thirteen and fourteen are the same clock in different settings - so again these postcards may have been photographed in the same studio. The clock in the last image, the one under a glass cover, is an expensive mantle clock and therefore is more likely to belong to a rich family than being a photographic studio prop.


Click the images to zoom. 
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