Street scene, Canton,

1880s

Street Scene, Canton, attributed to Lai Afong, is an image of merchants who sell “velvet antlers,” “waxed pills,” “watchmakers,” and other items both pedestrian and rare. To me, the image is an irresistible mix of complexity, density, and otherworldliness, where there is an infinite hall of mirrors’ worth of possibilities. Humans are inconsequential, as decor and architecture predominate. As a tinted albumen print, the photo as an object reinforces a feeling of unknown nostalgia for a place I could never see. The sense of perspectival space begs me to ask, what is down the street? Does it go on forever? If so, what other wonders would one see and find along the way?

Jeffrey Yuan, community member