Hanoi's lively Mid-Autumn Festival a century ago
Color photos of Mid-Autumn Festival toys on Hanoi's Hang Gai Street, taken by photographer Leon Busy in 1915, offer viewers a glimpse into the past.
The photos of Hanoi's Mid-Autumn Festival are part of the photographer's extensive collection of 1,382 images of Vietnam, now on display at the Albert Kahn Museum in the Paris suburb of Hauts-de-Seine, France.
| A toy shop for the Mid-Autumn Festival on Hang Gai Street in 1915. |
Photographer Leon Busy was sent to Vietnam to document daily life in northern Vietnam from 1914 to 1917, sponsored by wealthy French tycoon Albert Kahn.
In addition to photos of Hanoi's historic streets, such as Hang Luoc and Tran Quoc Pagoda, the photographer also captured images of a mid-Autumn toy shop on Hang Gai Street in 1915.
These are believed to be the first photos of Hanoi ever taken using autochrome color photography technology.
They are not only valuable historical documents of Hanoi, but also showcase the photographer's talent, with impeccable composition, angles, colors, and subjects.
| In 1890, the French colonial administration tasked the Hanoi Department of Infrastructure with designing a new neighborhood for Westerners and reforming the central streets. As a result, the photo shows Hang Gai Street’s sidewalks distinctly separated from the vehicle lanes. |
| Lanterns and toys were neatly arranged on the table at the store |
| The lanterns were creatively designed in a variety of sizes and shapes. |
| Iron human figures were "dressed" in bright colors, giving them a strikingly eye-catching appearance. |
| The exquisite mid-autumn pewter toys have long been lost. |
