Items

• 06 Entering the Wushan Gorge
  When traveling upstream towards West China, the Wushan Gorge is the second of the Yangtze River's Three Gorges. It is 12 miles long, most of which is narrow channels flanked by mountainous peaks with trackers' paths carved out of the rocky shores. Here the Graham's houseboat is about to turn one of the many corners along the gorge's course.
• 05 Wushan Temple on the Yangtze 2
  Scenic view of the temple at the entrance to the Wushan Gorge showing shoreline on either side. A path up the hillside is visible on the right. Rock island is seen in the lower left. A series of mountain peaks are in the left background.
• 04 Wushan Temple on the Yangtze 1
  Scenic view of the temple at the entrance to the Wushan Gorge with large protruding rock island in foreground. The temple sits halfway up the relatively small mountain. Another mountain may be seen in the left side background.
• Aerial View of Busy Hankow Harbor
  The photo is taken looking down on the boats parked in the Hankow harbor, perhaps from the window of a building on the bund. In the lower left, one can see the decorative trees planted in rows along the bund. The harbor is quite narrow and the sailboats are packed in several deep to the shore. Across the harbor there are industrial buildings on the shore in the background. This image was likely created for and used in lectures given by the Grahams and other missionaries "back home" while on furlough.
• 03 Masts of Boats at a Yangtze River Harbor
  Rows of sailboats parked at a harbor on the Yangtze River give the impression of a "forest of masts." It is not clear whether there are docks to park the boats.
• 02 Sailboat with Little Orphan Island
  A large rock island near the north shore of the Yangtze River just downstream from Jiujiang, Jiangxi (Kiukiang). The island has a small pagoda on the top and a Buddhist temple halfway up the rock face from the shore. A large sailboat passing by in front of it gives a sense of scale to the mountainous rock.
• 01 Sailboat at Mouth of Yangtze River
  A wooden boat with two tall rectangular sails on a large body of water at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
• 1913 Graham's First Yangtze River Journey
  David Crockett and Alicia Graham left Boston for West China on Sept. 14th, 1911, and sailed from San Francisco on Oct. 4th, 1911. When they reached Shanghai, however, they encountered the aftermath of the Republican Revolution and the missionaries who had evacuated West China on account of it. They therefore spent their first year in China in nearby Shaohsing and Mokanshan learning the Sichuanese language. The Grahams embarked on their first voyage up the Yangtze River to Sichuan on January 1st, 1913. It is not known how many of David Crockett Graham’s photographs of the Yangtze River were taken during this voyage. Many of his photographs of the Yangtze River were no doubt taken on later voyages during furloughs and evacuations. We do know that Graham’s Kodak camera was stolen by a “Chinese pick-pocket” in Wuchang before they got to Hankow. The camera was later found in a second-hand store and sent back to Graham, but we will never know how many pictures were lost thereby. The photographs in this series represent those that Graham most likely took on that first voyage in the order of locations they visited or passed.
• Christmas Dinner Menu 1912
  Handwritten menu of Christmas dinner enjoyed by missionary party heading to Sichuan after the 1912 evacuation. The party consisted of five women (three of them single from WMS) and Fred Johns. The main course of roast goose was accompanied by soup, several vegetable dishes, condiments, fruit and several desert dishes.
• Fred Abrey, Shanghai 1912
  Fred Abrey (husband of Elsie Abrey) strolls along a paved sidewalk in front of a Western style brick building in Shanghai's bund, 1912. A large building can be seen in the background to the right.
• Elsie Abrey, Shanghai 1912
  Elsie Abrey (wife of Fred Abrey) strolls along a paved sidewalk in front of a Western style brick building in Shanghai's bund, 1912. She holds two books in her hand.
• Portrait of Mrs. Bateman with Her Daughters
  Mrs. Alice Bateman (wife of Rev. Wm. Bateman) is seated with her newborn baby (Aileen Hartley) on her lap and small daughter Dorothy at her side. Aileen died going upriver to Sichuan, while Alice died at Mt. Emei in 1913. According to Martin Johns, this was due to the fact that they refused to get the small pox vaccination, which the rest of the party received in Shanghai.
• Mrs. Bateman with Her Two Daughters
  Mrs. Alice Bateman (wife of Rev. Wm. Bateman) is seated with her newborn baby (Aileen Hartley) on her lap and small daughter Dorothy at her side. Aileen died going upriver to Sichuan, while Alice died at Mt. Emei in 1913. According to Martin Johns, this was due to the fact that they refused to get the small pox vaccination, which the rest of the party received in Shanghai.
• Family of Richard Samuel Taylor in Shanghai
  Richard and Evelina Taylor with baby riding on wheelbarrow with another missionary man (likely Parker Bayne) pretending to be the coolie who pedaled the vehicle. The actual wheelbarrow driver stands to the far left behind a Chinese policeman or soldier. In the background is a paved Shanghai street in front of a Western-style brick building.
• Riding Donkeys in Shanghai 1912
  Sadie (left) and Parker (right) Bayne with an unidentified missionary woman (middle) ride Chinese donkeys in front of a brick wall or building in Shanghai's foreign concession. The woman in the middle rides sidesaddle as was the custom for women in those days. The donkeys are equipped with harnesses, blankets and bells.
• Mortimore Children with Chinese Amah
  The Mortimore children, Marion, Frank and baby, are accompanied by their Chinese amah on a sidewalk in the foreign concession of Shanghai. They stand on a sidewalk in front of a Western style building. Marion has a doll in a toy stroller. Frank wears a dress, which was common for boys at the time. The amah wears a silk gown and trousers with "lotus shoes" covering her bound feet.
• Dr. Mabel Mortimore with Three Children
  Dr. Mabel Mortimore (wife of Rev. William Mortimore) crouches on the edge of the sidewalk next to her three children, Marion, Frank and the baby seated in a high chair. In front of the baby is a toy bear playing a xylophone. In the background is an empty paved street and the façade of a large brick building in Western style architecture.
• Wushan Temple on the Yangtze River
  Wushan was the first town in Sichuan Province when heading upstream on the Yangtze River towards Chongqing. It is now in the Chongqing Municipality. In 1912 Wushan city officials were responsible for collecting tariffs for the Sichuan government. The photograph shows the massive rock island on the left and the Wuhan Temple on the hill above to the right, marking the entrance to the Wu Gorge.
• Interactive Map of West China Missionaries' Birth Places, USA
  The map presented here is based on birth place data for missionaries who served in West China, 1885-1952, researched and compiled by members of the Imaginaries and Modernities research team. It does not encompass all such missionaries, but enough of them to present clear trends in their places of origin. Here we present a still image of the USA map, which shows a wider geographic distribution than does the data from Canada, while still following the pattern of concentration in the northeast and midwest. Follow the "Source" link to an interactive version of the map where you can drill down to individuals' birth places. Click on a "pin" to see the name of the missionary and their hometown.
• Interactive Map of West China Missionaries' Birth Places, Canada
  The map presented here is based on birth place data for missionaries who served in West China, 1885-1952, researched and compiled by members of the Imaginaries and Modernities research team. It does not encompass all such missionaries, but enough of them to present clear trends in their places of origin. Here we present two still images of the data from Canada - the whole country and just Ontario. The first shows a strong concentration of birth places in central Canada while only a scattering of individuals in the east and west. The latter shows that a disproportionately large number of West China missionaries were born in Ontario, even when one includes those born in the USA or UK. Follow the "Source" link to an interactive version of the map where you can drill down to individuals' birth places. Click on a "pin" to see the name of the missionary and their hometown.
• Famine Relief Workers Building Yurt
  Several dozen dike workers from the famine relief project, with shovels, on top of the dike wall. A dozen of them are constructing a yurt. On the left of the image, some thatched roof houses from the villages can be seen.
• Busy Famine Relief Workers
  Wide angle shot of the dike workers, many of them wearing straw hats, transporting wheelbarrows full of dirt across the field. The foreground features a child with a bicycle. On the left, in the background, is a tall pole of unknown purpose.
• Panoramic Scene at Famine Relief Site
  Wide angle shot of the dike project, featuring several hundred workers digging. The project is taking place in a large field, where a few trees can be seen.
• Famine Relief Worksite with Yurt in Background
  Group of several dozen workers with shovels. Two supervisors look upon the men in more formal attire, wearing shoes. Several workers in the background are constructing a yurt.
• Families Who Are Victims of the Famine
  Group of a dozen parents and children crowded together. The woman in the front has a basket. Most of the people have pained expressions on their faces, and are directly facing the camera. They are wearing simple cotton garments and are standing amongst thatched roof buildings in a street.