Canton Amah
Attributed to
John Thomson
(Scottish, 1837 - 1921)
Dateca. 1870
MediumAlbumen print
DimensionsImage and sheet: 3 7/16 × 2 1/8 inches (8.69 × 5.41 cm)
Mount: 4 1/8 × 2 7/16 inches (10.49 × 6.15 cm)
Mount: 4 1/8 × 2 7/16 inches (10.49 × 6.15 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Hall Family Foundation
Object number2015.67.70
Signednone
InscribedPrinted captions on paper, attached to mount verso, in black type: "Canton Amah. / THESE are the most useful and at the / same time faithful female servants em- / ployed by foreigners in China. Their / way of dressing the hair is elsewhere / explained. The umbrella, their unva- / rying companion in their walks serves / as a support, and is carried like a walk- / ing stick by men. / [¶] As nurses they are trustworthy and / gentle, and their fondness for the chil- / dren, their little charges, is proverbial."
Markingsnone
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionHand colored image of an Amah, housemaid or children's nurse, with elaborately styled hair stands with back to viewer and head slightly in profile; she is holding an umbrella in her right hand and wearing a long jacket with wide pants.
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