Funeral of a cloth manufacturer's mother

Funeral of a cloth manufacturer's mother

Photograph

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Maker
French, 1908–2004

Funeral of a cloth manufacturer's mother

Peking Funeral


1949
Gelatin silver print
Image: 9 1/2 × 6 3/8 in. (24.1 × 16.2 cm)
Gift of Dr. Mark Reichman, 2005
2005.0933.0002
Inscriptions Inscribed in ink on verso, TC: 282/6
Stamped in ink on verso, TC: PLEASE CREDIT \ HENRI CARTIER-BRESSON (MAGNUM) \ MAGNUM PHOTOS INC. \ 55 WEST 8th STREET \ NEW YORK 11, N.Y. \ PHOTOS MUST NOT BE ALTERED BY TRIMMING
Typed on applied label on verso, C: PEKING FUNERAL. Pix by Henri Cartier Bresson of "Magnum" \ The funeral was for the mother of a cloth manufacturer and it \ lasted all day. It was held three days after the woman's death and \ performed with elaborate ceremonies as only the rich can afford. It \ cost the merchant about 1,000 dollars the same price it would cost \ to buy a new house.
Typed on applied label on verso, C: 282/6 \ Funeral of a cloth manufacturer's mother. \ The procession wound through frozen fields and stopped abruptly \ in front of a hole in the earth. Swiftly, the carriers pulled down \ the silk crown of the hearse and bared the permanent coffin. \ The son knelt down at the grave.
Stamped in ink on verso, BR: PROPERTY OF THE \ PERIODICALS ART LIBRARY, \ 185, HIGH HOLBORN, W.C.1. \ MUST BE RETURNED UNDAMAGED
Inscribed in ink on verso, BLC: F [illegible] - Religion \ X - - Natives
Inscribed in pencil on verso, BRC: HCB-C-30
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