"New Army Day Parade," Forbidden City, Beijing, China

1948

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Associated Names
Henri Cartier-Bresson

Artist, French, 1908 - 2004

This is a photograph of a group of uniformed individuals walking in formation by ornate traditional architecture. The image shows a large group of people, dressed in identical uniforms, marching in an orderly manner. In the background, a grand structure with characteristic East Asian architectural elements, including intricate roofs and tiered design, dominates the scene. The heavy stone wall and decorative sloped roof exemplify traditional design aesthetics. The photograph is in black and white, adding a historical ambiance with soft gray tones that evoke nostalgia from an earlier time.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gary Davis

  • Dimensions

    image: 16.5 × 24 cm (6 1/2 × 9 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.118.1

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

(Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York); Gary Davis, Greenwich, CT, purchased 2002; gift to NGA, 2012.

Associated Names

Inscriptions

on verso, stamped, upper right in black ink with blue pencil underlining: PEIPING ESSAY 48; by unknown hand, center right in graphite: new recruits - "New Army / Day" parade in forbidden city; center in graphite: 76 / 286 / 4; stamped, upper left in blue ink: 28316-A [letter in blue pencil]; stamped, inverted, center left in black ink: LIFE PHOTO / BY / Bresson / DEC 22 1948 [artist's name in graphite]; upper left in graphite: x CHINA AF; lower center in graphite: GDC-117 PF49160 (GD-TL-239)

Wikidata ID

Q64154956

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