Unidentified Chinese Man Lighting a Cigarette, pre-1929

Black and white photograph of a man in a coat and hat smoking a cigarette

This historical photograph of a man lighting a cigarette in a studio setting inspired Karen Tam’s installation C.S. Wing Studio, 2020 (see previous work). Neither the photographer nor the subject of this image is known, but it is a striking portrait nonetheless. The space is distinguished by a fence and plant, as if to suggest the outdoors, and, wearing a long coat, tie, and a fedora, the figure presents himself as a modern man in Western dress. The image is similar to works by C.S. Wing (b. around 1890), who was the first professional photographer in the town of Quesnel, British Columbia, at the turn of the twentieth century.

Unidentified Chinese Man Lighting a Cigarette, pre-1929

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