Father R. Verbois
1990
Book cover for J. Van Alphen "Mensen voorbij de Grote Muur. Foto's uit Jehol Oost-Mongolie China 1910 -1939, (People at the other side of the Great Wall. Photo's from Jehol East Mongolia. China 1910-1939)"

Book cover
Private collection
ALPHEN, J. Van, Mensen voorbij de Grote Muur. Foto's uit Jehol Oost-Mongolie China 1910 -1939, (People at the other side of the Great Wall. Photo's from Jehol East Mongolia. China 1910-1939). Exhibition catalogue 1990, Etnografisch Museum Antwerpen, Antwerpen 1990. Softcover, 25 x 29,5 cm. 95 pag. 76 photo's. Photo's made by Belgian missionaries in Chinese Mongolia depicting daily life. Text in Dutch
 
Introduction from page 8 till 17, the following 76 pages, one photo per page.
 
This exhibition [Antwerp 1990] catalogue contains 76 photo's made in the period 1910-1939 probably by Father R. Verbois, who was a member of the so-called "Scheut" Congregation. The area in which this Belgian Roman Catholic Congregation was active was Inner Mongolia [later on focus was shifted to Belgian Congo]. The photo's in the catalogue have been printed from black-and-white prints of negatives on glass, that were originally used for educational purposes.
 
The introduction introduces the reader to the region, the political situation in China at that time and the role of the missionary. Contemporary reports of missionaries travelling and working there have been used to underline some aspects of the introduction.
 
The photo's are more of documentary than artistic value although the quality is quite good. They depict mostly the daily working life of the Chinese inhabitants of the region. This concurs with the fact that christening of the inhabitants was nearly only limited to the Han Chinese.
 
The descriptions of the photo's (see below) are based on the actual descriptions on the glass originals.
 
LL/23367