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an old photo of a group of people walking down a streetan old postcard with a lot of writing on it
Stanley’s Auction

291 - Funeral of the Chinese Emperor, China, 1909. A rare photogra…
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Estimate €150 - €250
Sale commission
Description
Funeral of the Chinese Emperor, China, 1909. A rare photographic postcard depicting a major official procession in Peking during the funeral of the Emperor of China, most likely that of Emperor Guangxu, held in 1909 at the end of the Qing dynasty. The scene shows an impressive display of troops in colonial helmets, dignitaries, a large funeral procession, and a sizeable crowd gathered for the ceremony. The front bears a rare bilingual commemorative violet handstamp, in English and Chinese characters, reading “CHINESE EMPEROR’S FUNERAL”, dated 1 May 1909, directly related to the imperial funeral ceremonies. The card is hand-dated “Pékin, le 10 décembre 1909” (Peking, 10 December 1909). On the reverse, the correspondent writes in particular: “I am writing to announce my imminent return. I am travelling via the Indies with a stopover in Japan. Have you received my postcards featuring our new stamps? They are already rare! Enclosed is a view of the Emperor’s funeral. With my best wishes for the New Year. Happy New Year. "This text explicitly identifies the subject depicted. Franked with two 1-cent stamps of the Chinese Imperial Post, cancelled PEKING (12 December 1909), with a Liège arrival postmark dated 13 December 1909. The handwritten note ‘via Transsibérien’ indicates the postal route between Peking and Europe via the famous Trans-Siberian railway line. Correspondence addressed to Monsieur Max Gilquin, Liège (Belgium). An exceptional historical, postal and iconographic artefact, combining a contemporary photograph of a major event in Imperial China, an explanatory letter from the period, a complete franking by the Chinese Imperial Post, a rare commemorative handstamp of the imperial funeral, and a routing notation via the Trans-Siberian railway. The descriptions are based on our interpretation of the postmarks and handwritten inscriptions, which are sometimes difficult to decipher; they are provided in good faith and without guarantee. Postal history, philately, marcophily, Beijing, deltiology, mourning cover, railway mail, Siberia route
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About the sale Asian Art
Auction location
Auction time 07/16/2026 at 2:00 PM
Pictures credits:
SANCHEZ Hugo
See original version (French)
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