Archives of American Art

A Finding Aid to the Chao-Chen Yang Papers, 1945-circa 1970, in the Archives of American Art

Summary

Collection ID:
AAA.yangchao
Creators:
Yang, Chao-Chen, 1910-1969
Dates:
1945-circa 1970
Languages:
English
.
Physical Description:
0.2 Linear feet
Repository:
The scattered papers of photographer Chao-Chen Yang measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1945 to circa 1970. Found are artworks, biographical materials, writings, photographs, and printed material. Also included are two sound cassettes with an edited transcript of Yang's oral autobiography. Photographs depict Yang and also include copy prints of Yang's photographic works documenting his career as a professional photographer.

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The scattered papers of photographer Chao-Chen Yang measure 0.2 linear feet and date from 1945 to circa 1970. Found are artworks, biographical materials, writings, photographs, and printed material. Also included are two sound cassettes with an edited transcript of Yang's oral autobiography. Photographs depict Yang and also include copy prints of Yang's photographic works documenting his career as a professional photographer.

Arrangement

Arrangement
Due to the small size of this collection the papers are arranged as one series.

Biographical / Historical

Biographical / Historical
Chao-Chen Yang (1910-1969) was a Chinese American photographer based in Seattle, Washington. Born Hangchow, China, Yang received degrees in foreign relations and art education from the University of Hwin-Hwa, Shanghai, and became the director of the Department of Art at the Government Institute in Nanking. Coming to the United States in 1934 to work at the Chinese Consulate in Chicago, he took night courses in art at the Art Institute of Chicago from 1935 to 1939. He was transferred to Seattle as Deputy Consul and founded the Seattle Photographic Society in 1941. He served as director of the Northwest Institute of Photography and concentrated in color photo printing processes.

Administration

Author
Jayna M. Josefson
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Jean Yang, widow of Chao-Chen Yang donated his papers to the Archives of American Art in 1991.
Existence and Location of Copies
The collection is available on 35mm microfilm reel 4883 for use at Archives of American Art offices and through interlibrary loan.
Processing Information
The collection was processed, and a finding aid prepared by Jayna Josefson in 2022.

Using the Collection

Conditions Governing Use
The Archives of American Art makes its archival collections available for non-commercial, educational and personal use unless restricted by copyright and/or donor restrictions, including but not limited to access and publication restrictions. AAA makes no representations concerning such rights and restrictions and it is the user's responsibility to determine whether rights or restrictions exist and to obtain any necessary permission to access, use, reproduce and publish the collections. Please refer to the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for additional information.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research. Access to original papers requires an appointment and is limited to the Archives' Washington, D.C. Research Center.
Preferred Citation
Chao-Chen Yang papers, 1945-circa 1970. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Drawings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Interviews Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Sound recordings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asian American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Chinese American artists Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Asian American photographers Topical Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Photographers -- Washington (State) -- Seattle Occupation Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

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