The Chinese Salvation Army
Arnold Genthe
American, born Germany. 1869–1942
1896-1906
This gelatin silver print shows members of the Chinese Salvation Army gathered in the street, as Arnold Genthe sought to record a moment of communal ritual and public performance.
A low vantage pulls you into a semicircle of kneeling figures around a drum—the uneven cobbles, a hat for donations, and tightly framed, high‑contrast faces and gestures make the scene feel intimate and immediate.
Made around 1900, the image sits between documentary and pictorial traditions, helping shape how American audiences encountered and imagined Chinese immigrant life at the turn of the century.
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
9 3/4 × 13 1/8" (24.8 × 33.3 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Albert M. Bender
Accession
90.1940
Palette
Exhibitions
