Photography American Barricade in the City Wall

• Skušek's Collection (SEM)
• Slovene Ethnographic Museum

A black-and-white photograph showing a barricade on the city wall. Behind it, the outline of a guardhouse can be seen, with two American soldiers standing in front of it. The city wall also partially surrounded the Legation Quarter in Beijing (Dongjiaominxiang 東交民巷). Between 1861 and 1959, it was situated in the area of the Inner City (Neicheng 内城), east of present-day Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang 天安門廣場), and south of the Forbidden City (Gugong 故宫 or Zijincheng 紫禁城). After the Second Opium War (1856–1860), several foreign delegations settled there and established embassies or legations of their countries.

The photograph is the 80th of 449 photographs of Beijing and its surroundings in the album of Ivan Skušek Jr., purchased during his stay in Beijing (1914–1920). In the handwritten inventory of the album, the photograph is referred to as Amerik. Barrikade auf der Stadtmauer. (DZ, MV)

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• Object history