A part of the exhibition of “the Elegant West Lake” organized jointly by Tang Yun Art Museum and the Shen Hong Studio, ZJU, the 2009 second exhibition of Humanities Serious of Ancient West Lake ----- “Hangzhou in Kemp’ Camera” was inaugurated the other day. On display were the photos of the Hangzhou city and panorama of the lakeside area of the West Lake taken by Kemp and other over 60 photos of the Great Street (present Zhongshan Road), the Youth Union and the Bazi Bridge. Although Kemp himself didn’t leave any record of his two visits to Hangzhou in 1917 and 1918 and the photos of the City of Hangzhou and the West Lake during the two visits. However, the priceless photos of the time-honored brands, the handicraftsmen and the peddlers in Hangzhou reflect much of the acute observation and the outstanding talent of this sociologist and amateur photographer.
Shen Hong Studio stated its research on the old photos of Hangzhou taken by Kemp in 2007 when it was established. Now the studio has already acquired the authorizations from Kemp’s grandson, Peter Colon and the Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library of Duke University, USA. The studio has also planned to display and utilize the precious historical heritage closely associated with Hangzhou and West Lake. The exhibition of old photos taken by Kemp held in Tang Yun Art Musuem is the second one of the series exhibitions of Old Photos of the West Lake, taken by Foreigners in 2009 co-organized by Tang Yun Art Gallery and Shen Hong Studio. The refreshing old photos of Hangzhou taken by Kemp on display are sure to awake people’s memory of the beautiful history of Hangzhou and the West Lake.
(Translated by LI Jiaona)
