Chinese Label Art: 1900-1976

Combining wonderful graphics with fascinating history, this book is a showcase of outstanding Chinese label, packaging, and advertising art created between 1900 and 1976. These stunning images came from cities in China such as Canton and Shanghai, as well as places beyond the border such as Hong Kong, Macau, and Singapore, where large Chinese populations thrived and commercial ties to the West were strong. Export and domestic products include tea, medicine, food, cosmetics, cigarettes, dyes, matches, phonograph records, firecrackers, religious items, and more. Their labeling presents a mixture of traditional imagery and ornamentation blended with Western culture and merchandising. Over 400 visually captivating images make this an important resource for artists, designers, historians, and merchants alike.

Andy Cahan's interest in Chinese culture began at an early age and evolved into a lifetime passion for unearthing and collecting its printed ephemera. Cahan lives in North Carolina and makes his living as a cabinet builder and woodworker.