Soldiers on Trolley, Beijing, China

1948

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Associated Names
Henri Cartier-Bresson

Artist, French, 1908 - 2004

Al Asnis

Printer

This is a photograph of a crowded tram or train carriage. The exterior shows signs of age, with wooden panels and windows covered with crisscross wire mesh. The figures are dressed in heavy, padded clothing and appear to be holding onto the door frames and railings, with some standing on narrow ledges outside the door. Handwritten signs are visible on the side. The photograph captures a scene of congestion and travel, rendered in black and white, adding a timeless, historical quality to the image.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gary Davis

  • Dimensions

    image: 24.1 × 16.6 cm (9 1/2 × 6 9/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.118.13

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 left in black ink with blue pencil underlining: PEIPING ESSAY 48; stamped, perpendicular, upper left in black ink: LIFE PHOTO / BY / Bresson [artist's name in graphite]; stamped, upper center in black ink: LIFE PRINT / BY / AL ASNIS; by unknown hand, center in graphite: 76 / 277 / 23; stamped, perpendicular, lower left in black ink: DEC 22 1948; lower center in graphite: Soldiers jamming trolley / cars; stamped, perpendicular, lower left in blue ink: 28316-A [letter in blue pencil]; lower center in graphite: x CHINA AF - PERSONNEL - ARMY / x STREET CARS - CHINA - PEIPING; lower center in graphite: GDC-132 PF 49159 (GD-TL-238)

Wikidata ID

Q64154970

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