China's Red Tide
China's Red Tide

© Warren Lee

China's Red Tide
China's Red Tide

Currently not on view

China's Red Tide,

1949

Warren Lee, American
2008-39

The caption provided for this Acme Photos image reads:

TOP STORIES OF 1949: CHINA’s RED TIDE: Chinese communist troops plodded slowly, but victoriously, in the wake of retreating nationalist soldiers, pushing the Chinese civil war into front page headlines intermittently throughout the year. It was in 1949 that China’s Reds scored their most significant victories. But before the red tide engulfed Shanghai, Nationalist troops were in control, standing by (above) as the city’s police executed communists, together with gangsters and saboteurs, in the streets of the port city.

Acme Photos sent original prints such as this over telephone wires to various global news outlets. Similar to the technology of facsimiles, this transmittal system allowed for each media outlet to receive its own copy of the original.

Information

Title
China's Red Tide
Dates

1949

Maker
Warren Lee
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
image: 16.5 x 21.5 cm. (6 1/2 x 8 7/16 in.) sheet: 18.1 x 22.8 cm. (7 1/8 x 9 in.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase, Fowler McCormick, Class of 1921, Fund
Object Number
2008-39
Place Depicted

Asia, China, Shanghai

Marks/Labels/Seals
Typed caption adhered to bottom: LEE 903898. ……… NEW YORK BUREAU / TOP STORIES OF 1949: CHINA’S RED TIDE / CHINESE COMMUNIST TROOPS PLODDED SLOWLY, BUT / VICTORIOUSLY, IN THE WAKE OF RETREATING / NATIONALIST SOLDIERS, PUSHING THE CHINESE / CIVIL WAR INTO FRONT PAGE HEADLINES INTER-/MITTENTLY THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. IT WAS IN / 1949 THAT CHINA’S REDS SCORED THEIR MOST / SIGNIFICATN VICTORIES. BUT BEFORE THE RED / TIDE ENGULFED SHANGHAI, NATIONALIST TROOPS / WERE IN CONTROL, STANDING BY (ABOVE) AS THE / CITY’S POLICE EXECUTED COMMUNISTS, TOGETHER / WITH GANGSTERS AND SABOTEURS, IN THE STREETS / OF THE PORT CITY. / NY-1-2-3-4-5 FOR / CREDIT LINE (ACME PHOTO BY WARREN LEE, STAFF / CORRESPONDENT) 12//6//49 (RK) Press stamps verso In wax, all over: 8 1//2" [top], 5 13//16" [left], [crop lines]
Culture
American
Type
gelatin silver prints, black-and-white photographs, photographs
Techniques
gelatin silver process
Subject
policemen, deaths, men, small arms, figures (representations), cities, roads, violence, automobiles

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