Way before colored photography appeared, generations of our ancestors had to rely on the finesse of painters to create visuals records of their everyday routines. This collection of watercolor paintings from the 1890s is a particularly vivid example of that, depicting lively scenes of Vietnam two centuries ago that are full of humor and personality.
The illustrations below are part of a set of 21 watercolor paintings on paper listed by British art broker Sotheby’s. Little is known about the album’s origins and author, save for the number “1890” which can be found on the back side of one painting. Some of the artworks belong to different museums and private collectors.
Each of the artwork portrays a daily scene in late 19th-century Nam Định, shortly after the French started colonizing Vietnam. The use of color is playful, especially in details like the patterns on the back of lion dancers or ceremonial flags. While the author is unknown, viewers can see their tongue-in-cheek humor in sketching out the scenes, like how one fisherman is shown with a fallen loincloth and has to cover his private parts.
Have a closer look at the illustrations below:
A procession accompanying a mandarin, who's being carried in the palanquin.
A ceremonial procession during a festive parade.
A group of lion dance performers on the way to perform.
A local monk leads a family through important rituals.
A groom (under the umbrella shade) and his family on the way to his bride-to-be's homestead for the dạm ngõ ritual.
Young men and women catch fish using different traditional tools.
Village men catch fish using dậm, a traditional crescent-shaped basket. One of them lost his loincloth and is trying desperately to cover himself.
A rudimentary tea stand at the village entrance.
A busy morning market in session.
A rickshaw driver relieves himself after gettting a noblewoman to her destination.
At a lumber mill.
