From China, With Love: Hand-Colored Photographs and Letters Home, 1919-21

This collection of photographs was created by a creative couple living and working in China. Clarence and Florence Farnham Dittmer of Antigo, Wisconsin produced the hand-colored (and captioned) photographs in this collection, and Florence wrote the letters, which accompany them. In 1919, they traveled to China after Clarence Dittmer, a sociology professor, was invited to teach at Tsing Hua College in Peking (Beijing).

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While in China, Clarence used his camera to record impressions of the country, and then he and Florence carefully embellished them with color. Almost 100 years later, these hand-colored photographs have become precious relics of a time and place which no longer exists outside of unique collections like this one owned by Dick Yahr, Milwaukee, a relative of the artists. The exhibition was carefully curated and brought to life by Annemarie Sawkins.

Museum hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10am - 4pm and Sunday, 12 - 4pm.