Parade of Conscripted Soldiers, Beijing, China

1948

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Associated Names
Henri Cartier-Bresson

Artist, French, 1908 - 2004

Magnum Photos

Publisher

This is a photograph of a group of individuals walking outdoors in winter. Some are seen from the back and others in profile as they move through a tree-lined area. Many are wearing quilted jackets and hats. The bare trees in the background add to the wintry atmosphere. The photo is in black and white, highlighting textures. The composition showcases movement and the collective motion of the group, with a background suggesting a rural or semi-urban setting.
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Artwork overview

  • Medium

    gelatin silver print

  • Credit Line

    Gift of Gary Davis

  • Dimensions

    image: 16.3 × 24 cm (6 7/16 × 9 7/16 in.)

  • Accession Number

    2012.118.36

Artwork history & notes

Provenance

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

Associated Names

Bibliography

1949

  • Cartier-Bresson, Henri. “A Last Look at Peiping.” Life (3 January 1949): 18.

Inscriptions

on verso, stamped, lower left in black ink with blue pencil underlining: PEIPING ESSAY 48; stamped, upper left in red ink: USED IN LIFE JAN 3 1949 P18 / INTERNATIONAL EDITION JAN 31 1949 P56 [page numbers in graphite]; stamped, inverted, upper left in blue ink: 28316-A [letter in blue pencil]; stamped, center left in black ink: LIFE PHOTO / BY / Cartier-Bresson from / Magnum [by unknown hand in graphite, circled with red pencil]; perpendicular, upper center in graphite: Mothers search for faces they know / in Peiping, China, parade of / soldiers suddenly conscripted to / defend the city.; perpendicular, center in graphite: 76 / 286 / 24; perpendicular, center right in graphite, circled: 29; center right in graphite, circled with lines extending to edges of print: 22P; right center in graphite: x CHINA AF - RECRUITS & RECRUITING; inverted, lower right in graphite, circled: 57; lower center in graphite: PF49163 (GD-TL-242) GDC-196

Wikidata ID

Q64154995

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