Training at a Tianjin Girls' High School

1920–30
Not on view
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.
This image is an early print on revolutionary themes. It shows five girls in bright outfits, flowered hats, and leather boots on unbound feet being drilled by a female instructor. Education for girls began late in China. In the early twentieth century some printmakers promoted, in the folk-art style, social reforms that included better education as well as social, political, and military engagements for girls. Several prints on this subject have been traced back to their original workshops. As identified in its lower left corner, this example came from the Xifuxing printshop at Yangliuqing, which is located near Tianjin.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Tianjin gaodeng nü xuetang da yancao
  • Title: Training at a Tianjin Girls' High School
  • Date: 1920–30
  • Culture: China
  • Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
  • Dimensions: Image: 22 7/16 x 38 13/16 in. (57 x 98.6 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: On loan from the British Museum
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art