MS 7423 Window flowers: symbolical silhouettes for the Chinese New Year
odd: label: Local Numbers
content: NAA MS 7423

NAA INV 10000085
name: label: Creator
content: Koehn, Alfred
place: label: Place
content: Beijing (China)
label: Place
content: East Asia
topic: label: Topic
content: Chinese New Year decorations
creator: label: Creator
content: Koehn, Alfred
culture: label: Culture
content: Chinese
bioghist: label: Biographical Note
content: Alfred Koehn was a German diplomat and amateur botanist who worked in Asia.  He authored and published a number of illustrated books on Japan and China.
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Volume (45 pages; 295 cutouts, 15.25 x 21.25 inches)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 1948
container: label: Container
content: Folder 7423
custodhist: label: Custodial History
content: The collection was purchased in Beijing, China in 1948 by Ann Ford Doyle and donated to the National Anthropological Archives in 1984.
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: National Anthropological Archives
identifier: label: Identifier
content: NAA.MS7423
objectType: label: Type
content: Collection descriptions
label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Graphic Materials
label: Type
content: Volumes
label: Type
content: Books
label: Type
content: Silhouettes
processinfo: label: Processing Information
content: Previously titled "Window flowers: typical silhouettes for the Chinese New Year."
genre_format: label: Genre/Form
content: Books
label: Genre/Form
content: Silhouettes
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: The collection consists of one (1) book by Alfred Koehn. The book is made up of cutouts, mostly from red paper, that have been mounted on the pages of the volume. The cutouts represent people, animals, birds, flowers, and other designs. These designs were mounted in homes to bring prosperity and good fortune for the coming year.

Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.