The Grand Stand, Foochow (Fuzhou) 1869

Lai Fong, active in the late nineteenth century, made this albumen silver print in Foochow, now Fuzhou, China. The photographic process itself is key to understanding this image. Each print was made from a glass negative, carefully coated with a light-sensitive emulsion. The image shows a grandstand adorned with American and other flags, packed with spectators. The very act of photography was then cutting-edge technology, a product of Western scientific advancement. The presence of the American flag underscores the complex dynamic of cultural exchange and perhaps even a subtle assertion of power. Lai Fong, like other Chinese photographers of the time, catered to a clientele of Western merchants and travelers eager to capture the exoticism and, perhaps, the promise of the East. In viewing this photograph, we’re invited to consider not just the scene it depicts, but also the social and economic forces at play in its making. It exemplifies how the fusion of art, commerce, and cultural exchange could materialize in the form of a single photographic print.