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Shanghai Calendar Girls
Exhibition of Vintage Postcards and Images

14 August - 3 September, 2013

Shanghai girls posters and the advertisements were widely used for commercial purposes during the 1910s to 1930s era in Shanghai. The advertisements consisted of everything from tobacco to perfume and even health supplements. They depicted the glamorous urban lifestyle of Shanghai during the political change and economic expansion of early 20th century, also reflecting the changing and increasingly independent role of urban women in Chinese society. Today, these posters are popular collectors items. In this exhibition, over 60 postcards and posters will be displayed, which were formerly collected by an owner of a bookshop in Frankfurt specialized in rare publications. We look forward to seeing you at the gallery, to share with us your found in these images.

PostStory 1
 
This beautiful woman is sitting on a velvet red cushion in a very relaxed pose. She is playing with her hair and looking straight ahead, her posture is rather inviting. A bunch of red irises behind her are loosely arranged in a vase and a colorful decorative lamp is hanging from the ceiling. She has a fashionable hairstyle and wears delightful make up. The blue silk evening gown flatters her body and reveals her most delicate and smooth flesh.
 
“Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of us all?”
 
The interesting part of this image is that the one reflected in the mirror is the woman’s cat, not herself. It is as if she is telling you how confident she is with her own beauty and it is just her cat that needs to wonder.

PostStory 2
 
Two women, one is sitting on a plush sofa with her legs crossed and the other one standing with one leg kneeing on a chair. Their hair is done in a traditional oriental way with a fringe, strong red lip color and one is wearing a stylish long pearl necklace. It looks almost like a perfectly normal day which the beautiful hostesses are getting ready to greet their guests for afternoon tea.
 
This is obviously a provocative image. The two women are completely naked with only a few pieces of semi-translucent lace and a pair of black stockings. They are not in a bathhouse where being nude is accepted but in a living room en suite. Their bodies and heads face forwards and they are gazing directly at the audience with a bold expression.
 
Have they just bathed? Perhaps. The towel is still hanging on the side of the bath tub.
Are they sisters or lovers?
Are they prostitutes or just normal housewives?
Who and what are they waiting for?

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