Elson's Farewell Firecrackers

Item

Title
Elson's Farewell Firecrackers
Caption
Firecrackers at Endicott home when leaving
Identifier
AEJ_139
Description
Smoke from the firecrackers obscures the foregrounf. In the background can be seen an unidentified group of people on the steps of the Elsons' verandah.
Creator
Alfred Johns
Date Created
1910
Location
Chengdu, Sichuan; Chengtu, Szechwan (30.658799593305872, 104.06988893551647)
Source
Ken Johns
Provenance
Johns Family Archives
Publisher
SIUE
Record Date
2024-11-15
Contributor
Cory Willmott
Type
Still Image
abstract
The Johns arrived in Chengdu in early 1911, but Endicott left there in 1910. Elson left Chengdu in June 1911, so would have overlapped with the Johns..

Fireworks was a Chinese ritual greeting and farewell tribute to those they deemed important people, which frequently included missionaries. Given the size of their house it is not surprising Chinese would have that impression.

Linked resources

Items with "Relation: Elson's Farewell Firecrackers"
Title Class
Elson Verandah with Firecrackers Image
Resource class
Image