One hundred portraits of Peking opera characters

Unidentified artist

Not on view

In the opera boom of the late nineteenth century, albums were turned to a new purpose: documenting the variety and vibrancy of stage culture in all its multicolored splendor. This album records in detail the makeup and costume of one hundred characters drawn from nine plays. Each character is identified with an accompanying inscription, and the plays are named at the top right of nine of the leaves in slightly larger script.

One hundred portraits of Peking opera characters, Unidentified artist, Album of fifty leaves; ink, color, and gold on silk, China

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leaf 1 of 50, right image (a)