Book Review:

The Boxer Rebellion,
China 1900

The Artists' Perspective

by Frederic A. Sharf and Peter Harrington

Reviewed by Russ Lockwood

Greenhill, 2000, ISBN 1-85367-409-5, $19, 96 pages

Published to coincide with a museum exhibition, this softcover marks the centenary of the Boxer Rebellion in China. It reproduces original artwork from the 1900-1901 period from a variety of European and Japanese sources.

The text is rather sparse and serves as an introduction to the Rebellion rather than a history of the uprising, running from page 6 to 33. In includes a few maps, a four-page chronology, 10 pages of artists' comments and observations, and a few photos. A three-page summary of the activities of pre-President Herbert Hoover follows.

Thirty-seven illustrations, one per page, cover the European perspective, with a wide variety of war and peace scenes. Most are in black and white, and uniform details range from superb to average. Twelve illustrations from Japan chronicle Japanese participation, especially Captain Hattori's successful, if fatal, storming of the Taku forts. Oddly enough, Japanese illustrators depict the Hattori in three different colored uniforms -- one all white, one all black, and one with black jacket and white pants. The Boxers have different uniforms depicted, but that's to be expected.

Each illustration contains the artist name, date published, size, medium, and a short summary describing the event depicted. Of note, some of the illustrations were done from a photograph.

For Boxer Rebellion fans, this is a treat. For all others, it's an interesting booklet that should make you cognizant of the events in 1900, and worth flipping through.

Greenhill Books
Park House
Russell Gardens
London, NW11 9NN
Tel: 0181 458 6314
Fax: 0181 905 5245
E-mail Greenhill Books
Web Site: www.greenhillbooks.com

Sample Page

This is pretty typical of the type of pages within:


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