Auguste François (20 August 1857 – 4 July 1935) was a French

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states throu ...

first in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

between 1893 and 1895 then in

southern China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...

between 1896 and 1904, first in Longzhou in Guangxi province and Kunming in

Yunnan Yunnan , () is a landlocked province in the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders the C ...

. In China, he is known as ''Fang Suya'' (方苏雅). Su Yuanchun and Auguste francois

Kunming was then known as Yunnan-fu (云南府), and François spent time there and elsewhere in Yunnan working on obtaining a concession from the government to build the

rail line Rail terminology is a form of technical terminology. The difference between the American term ''railroad'' and the international term ''railway'' (used by the International Union of Railways and English-speaking countries outside the United Sta ...

from

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

to Kunming. He also undertook several exploration trips on major rivers and in eastern

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...

. He extensively photographed places and people, from officials to labourers and actors. About an hour of movie footage has also survived. In retirement, he wrote texts elucidating his images. François's work has been an invaluable means of documenting China's state palaces in the last decade of the

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

. His photography is the earliest, largest and most extensive and complete collection of photographs documenting Chinese society at the end of the

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-spea ...

. Armed with what was then state-of-the-art photographic and cinematic equipment, François traveled extensively throughout southern China and eventually followed the

Yangtze The Yangtze or Yangzi ( or ; ) is the longest river in Asia, the third-longest in the world, and the longest in the world to flow entirely within one country. It rises at Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains (Tibetan Plateau) and flows ...

from Yunnan to its terminus in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flowin ...

. His photographs are some of the earliest and most thorough photographic records of China and the motion pictures he took are thought to be the earliest motion pictures taken in China. His photo archive is held in France by

Guimet Museum The Guimet Museum (full name in french: Musée national des arts asiatiques-Guimet; MNAAG; ) is an art museum located at 6, place d'Iéna in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. Literally translated into English, its full name is the Nationa ...

and the Association Auguste François. Film archives are held by

Gaumont-Pathe Archives Gaumont Pathé Archives was set up after the catalogues of Cinémathèque Gaumont and Pathé Archives were combined in 2004. This venture is now the leading French image bank for black and white and colour images illustrating the history of the 2 ...

Cinémathèque française The Cinémathèque Française (), founded in 1936, is a French non-profit film organization that holds one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement, the archive offers ...

, SOAS,

Pitt Rivers Museum Pitt Rivers Museum is a museum displaying the archaeological and anthropological collections of the University of Oxford in England. The museum is located to the east of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and can only be accessed ...

and

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

References

* Auguste François: Yunnan, China https://vimeo.com/101076658 * L'oeil du consul - La Chine 1900 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Myv-lVKRR8 * Kunming, China 1902 (colorised) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbFG3jC2JlE * China on Film: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video-on-demand/china-on-film
Auguste François, Yin Xiaojun and Kunming at the end of the Qing Dynasty

External links

*
Association Auguste François
{{DEFAULTSORT:Francois, Auguste Photography in China 1857 births 1935 deaths People from Lunéville French photographers French sinologists 19th-century French diplomats 20th-century French diplomats