Morrison, Hedda. A Photographer in Old Peking by Hedda Morrison. Bargain copy.

Oxford University Press, 1985. [Photographs by the author taken in China, including what is now called Beijing, between 1933 and 1946, with introductory essay and detailed captions for photos.] 1st edition, hardcover with dust jacket. Ex-library with card pocket inside back cover, moderate shelf wear on bottom edge, spine labels neatly removed from dust jacket, new dust jacket protector, tape shadows on book where former dust jacket protector was attached. An attractive copy in overall very good condition. (Note: reflections in image of dust jacket.)  Summary:

A Photographer in Old Peking is an invaluable 266-page photographic memoir and historical document by German-born photographer Hedda Morrison, featuring a foreword by prominent historian Wang Gungwu. The book acts as a poignant visual record of China's ancient capital during its final years as a traditional city before the Communist revolution of 1949.

Overview of the Book

• The Photographer: Hedda Morrison fled Nazi Germany in 1933 to manage a commercial photo studio in Peking. Armed with a Rolleiflex TLR camera, she spent over a decade traveling the city on a bicycle, learning Mandarin, and capturing thousands of images as a resident rather than a passing tourist.

• Content: The book compiles roughly 200 striking black-and-white photographs taken between 1933 and 1946. These images cover a wide range of subjects, from monumental architecture to intimate slices of daily life.

• Structure: Rather than a simple chronological log, the work is organized into thematic chapters accompanied by Morrison's personal commentary and recollections of her time in China.

Core Themes and Focus Areas

The collection serves as a preservation project for a world that was on the brink of vanishing forever under subsequent decades of political upheaval and rapid modernization.

• People and Street Life: Morrison brought a deeply sympathetic, compassionate eye to her subjects. She avoided staging her imagery, choosing instead to capture street vendors, artisans, religious pilgrims, and ordinary citizens going about their work and leisure across all social classes.

• Vanishing Architecture: The book provides meticulous, beautifully lit architectural studies of Peking's ancient walls, magnificent temples, palaces, and traditional courtyard homes. Many of the physical structures and monuments she documented have since been heavily modified or completely destroyed.

• Landscape and Faith: Beyond the city core, Morrison traveled out into the Western Hills, capturing the unique, rugged geography of northern China alongside its historic temples and active monasteries, documenting the traditional religious practices of the era.