Shanghai, 1949

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Artist/Maker	Cartier-Bresson, Henri (photographer)
Place of origin	Shanghai (made)

Black and white photograph of a mass of people pushing and shoving one another. With the hyperinflation in 1949 in China and the devaluation of paper money, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) opted to distribute 40 grams of gold per person. Many thousands of people queued in line for hours. The police, accompanied by the remainder of the International Concession army personnel, were put in place to maintain order. However around a dozen people were reportedly crushed to death.

Object details

Category	Photographs
Object type	Photograph
Title	Shanghai, 1949 (generic title)
Materials and techniques	Silver bromide print Paper Bromide Photography
Brief description	Silver bromide print by Henri Cartier-Bresson depicting a mass of people pushing and shoving one another in a queue for gold in Shanghai during a peak of hyperinflation. China, 1949.
Physical description	Black and white photograph of a mass of people pushing and shoving one another. With the hyperinflation in 1949 in China and the devaluation of paper money, the Kuomintang (Chinese Nationalist Party) opted to distribute 40 grams of gold per person. Many thousands of people queued in line for hours. The police, accompanied by the remainder of the International Concession army personnel, were put in place to maintain order. However around a dozen people were reportedly crushed to death.
Dimensions	Width: 39.5cm Height: 29.5cm Dimensions taken from departmental notes
Subjects depicted	People Crowds Money Policy
Places depicted	Shanghai China
Collection	Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number	PH.790-1978

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Record created	June 30, 2009
Record URL	https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O1061242/shanghai-1949-photograph-cartier-bresson-henri/

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