Lot 349

Mao Zedong Commemorative Photo Album, Ca. 1949, Hand-Inscribed With 16 Photos

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Mao Zedong Commemorative Photo Album, Ca. 1949, Hand-Inscribed With 16 Photos

Estimate: $500 - $600

Starting Bid: $160

(0 Bids)

June 17, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Live Auction
Wilton, CT, US

Description:

Mao Zedong
[Shanghai, China?], n.d. but ca. 1949
Mao Zedong Commemorative Photo Album, Ca. 1949, Hand-Inscribed With 16 Photos
Photography Album

A vintage photo album commemorating Mao Zedong (1893-1976), the longtime Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party. N.d. but ca. 1949. [Shanghai, China?] The album has a black lacquered front cover depicting a pictorial scene bordered in a geometric pattern, and has an elegant twisted cord binding. The album contains 16 black and white gelatin silver photographs, each measuring 3.125" x 4.25," mounted individually on black paper pages underneath rice paper tissue guards hand-inscribed in unidentified Asian calligraphy. Hand-stamped on the back pastedown endpaper. There are three tissue guards in the rear of the album which probably correspond to photos now missing. The photographs exhibit isolated silvering and crazing. One of the hand-inscribed tissue guards has several small edits, and another tissue guard is slightly wrinkled. Isolated edge darkening/toning to the front and back covers' rice paper pastedown endpaper edges. Isolated surface loss to the back cover. Else very good to near fine. 6.875" x 4.625" x 1.125."

The manufacturing hand-stamp on the back pastedown endpaper may indicate that this photo album could have been awarded by an academic institution in Shanghai as a prize to a lucky household. The photo album contains 16 pictures documenting important places, people, or events related to Zedong's life, from his birth in 1893 all the way up until he proclaimed the People's Republic of China in October 1949. The various photos depict portraits of Zedong, as well as photos of the revolutionary leader writing, reading, greeting other political leaders, socializing with laborers, meeting with children, and speaking in public. More research is definitely needed to fully decipher this very interesting piece of Chinese Communist propaganda.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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  • Dimensions: 6.875" x 4.625" x 1.125"
  • Medium: Photography Album

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Bid Increments
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$100 $299 $20
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$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $2,999 $200
$3,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 + $5,000