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Catalog Data

Creator:
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Names:
Yanjing da xue  Search this
Ferguson, John Calvin, 1866-1945  Search this
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Priest, Alan Reed  Search this
Rowe, Dorothy, 1898-1969  Search this
St. Denis, Ruth, 1880-1968  Search this
Collection Creator:
March, Benjamin, 1899-1934  Search this
Extent:
182 Items (typed unbound pages with solid wood covers)
Container:
Box 1, Folder 9
Type:
Archival materials
Diaries
Place:
China
Beijing (China)
China -- Description and Travel
Date:
1925-1926
Scope and Contents note:
Binding removed, 9 ½" x 6". 182 pages. First entry, 30 June 1925. Last entry, 13 March 1926. Inscribed, "The Memoirs of MA". Wood cover. In the introduction, March wrote, "Chronicles of Benjamin" had, for three years, served as a journal, notebook, and record for himself of places he visited. Said that since he's now not alone that it is fitting to rename his notes, "Memoirs of MA." (Chinese name of his family). ["Chronicles of Benjamin" may be found in Series V, subseries B, photo albums.]
Scope and Contents:
A diary typed by the young Chinese art scholar Benjamin March from June 1925 to March 1926 describing his life in China. Events include March's marriage to the author Dorothy Rowe (1898-1969) in Nanjing, their honeymoon in Hangzhou and Suzhou, and their subsequent life in Beijing. March describes hikes through scenic areas in Hangzhou and Beijing; his acquaintance with scholars such as John Calvin Ferguson and Alan Priest; attending performances by Ruth St. Denis and Mei Lanfang, and his work at Yenching University.
The Memoirs of Ma
Biographical / Historical:
East Asian art historian, curator and lecturer, Benjamin Franklin March Jr., was born in Chicago on July 4, 1899 to Benjamin and Isabel March. He studied, lectured, and wrote in the United States and China and through his works gained respect as one of the foremost authorities on Chinese art during the 1920s and 1930s. March was East Asian art lecturer at the University of Michigan, and curator of Asian art at the Detroit Institute of Art. Although he lived only thirty-five years, Benjamin March was a respected and influential scholar of Asian art.
Local Numbers:
FSA A1995.10 2.3
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
No restrictions on use.
Topic:
Art, Asian  Search this
Art, Asian -- Research  Search this
Art, Chinese  Search this
Chinese language -- Terms and phrases  Search this
Painting, Chinese  Search this
Genre/Form:
Diaries
Collection Citation:
Benjamin March Papers, FSA.A.1995.10. National Museum of Asian Art Archives. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Gift of Judith March Davis, 1995
Identifier:
FSA.A1995.10, File FSA A1995.10 2.3
See more items in:
Benjamin March Papers
Benjamin March Papers / Series 2: Diaries
Archival Repository:
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
GUID:
https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/dc36bd63e4b-4db8-4872-ac06-0002023d7c84
EDAN-URL:
ead_component:sova-fsa-a1995-10-ref40