May 2007. The
231 images in this collection were
assembled by Anne S. Goodrich (1895–2005)
in 1931, when as a Christian missionary
in Peking she became interested
in local folk religious practices.
She studied the paper gods in this
collection for much of her life.
After publishing her research conclusions
in 1991, she donated these prints
to the C. V. Starr East Asian
Library, Columbia University.
The images are divided initially
by usage: Those which were purchased
to be burned immediately and serve
as emissaries to heaven; and those
which were purchased to be displayed
for a year while offering protection
to the family in a variety of ways,
before being burned. The images
are further divided by display locations
and by the deities they represent.
|
|
 Public
Web Site
 Press
Release, 5/9/2007
|
