名称: Man Carrying Water/挑水的男人
类别: CDV Albumen photo/CDV照片
日期: 1860
尺寸: 6x9cm
备注: 下图照片背面

The earliest recorded reference to Yichang Studio appears in an advertisement published in the Shanghai Xinbao newspaper, stating that “Yichang opened on May 20, 1864.” This makes it the earliest photographic studio in Shanghai with a confirmed founding date. By 1876, Shanghai’s streets from Guangdong Road to Nanjing Road had nearly ten Chinese-operated studios, including Yichang, Su Sanxing, Huaxing, Tongxing, Rishu, Hengxing, Shitai, and Gongfang. These studios not only marked the rise of local entrepreneurship in photography but also laid the foundation for a distinctly Chinese visual culture during the late Qing period.

宜昌影楼最早记载出现在上海《上海新报》的广告中，注明“宜昌于1864年5月20日开张”。这使其成为上海最早有确切创办日期的照相馆。到1876年，从广东路到南京路一带，上海已有近十家由中国人开设的影楼，包括宜昌、苏三兴、华兴、同兴、日戍、恒兴、时泰和公芳等。这些影楼不仅标志着中国摄影商业的崛起，也奠定了晚清时期具有中国特色的视觉文化基础。

Artistically, Yichang Studio and its contemporaries contributed to the development of portraiture and commercial photography in China. The photographers emphasized composition, lighting, and presentation, reflecting both Western photographic techniques and Chinese aesthetic sensibilities. Their portraits documented people from different social strata, offering unique insight into clothing, social customs, and urban life in 19th-century Shanghai. Beyond portraiture, these studios also produced landscapes and scenic views that provide invaluable historical records of urban and rural China during a period of rapid change.

Today, works from Yichang Studio and other early Shanghai studios are highly valued in museum collections and archives. Institutions such as the Shanghai Museum, the Shanghai History Museum, and international collections in Europe and North America preserve these early photographs. These collections not only showcase the artistic achievements of Chinese photographers in the 19th century but also serve as essential resources for researchers studying the history of photography, urban development, and visual culture in late Qing China.

在艺术成就方面，宜昌影楼及同时期的摄影机构对中国肖像摄影和商业摄影的发展起到了重要作用。摄影师们注重构图、光线与呈现方式，将西方摄影技术与中国审美观念相结合。他们的肖像作品记录了不同社会阶层的人物，生动展现了19世纪上海市民的服饰、生活习俗与社会风貌。除了肖像摄影，这些影楼还拍摄风景名胜，为研究城市与乡村在晚清时期的变迁提供了宝贵的历史资料。

如今，宜昌影楼及其他早期上海影楼的作品被多家博物馆和档案机构珍藏，包括上海博物馆、上海历史博物馆以及欧洲和北美的部分国际收藏。这些收藏不仅展示了19世纪中国摄影师的艺术成就，也为研究晚清摄影史、城市发展及视觉文化提供了重要资料。 >>返回>>