慈禧照片解读

Interpreting Photographs of the Empress Dowager Cixi

慈禧太后的众多照片,人物形象虽然大同小异,但细节内容不尽相同。它们具有独特的纪实效果,不仅留下了慈禧晚年的真实形象,而且蕴含着礼制、宫俗、文化、文物等多方面的信息。通过对照片的考辨与解读,将其中的诸多信息挖掘出来,再将现存的实物还原到照片的历史情境之中,不失为一种有趣的研究方法。本文结合现存的史料与文物,回顾一下慈禧的照相往事,对照片中的场景、陈设、服饰等内容,试做综合性的考辨与解读。

Despite that the empress dowager Cixi(1835-1908)is portrayed in similar poses and looks,her photographs are revealing in terms of their diverse settings.They serve as unique documentation of the real life of this matriarch in her late years,and reveal ample information of rites,palace customs,culture,and court collections in her time.The author adapts a fresh research approach with which it conducts a close examination of the photos to find out clues instructive to put surviving objects back to a historical context.With historical documents and cultural relics as reference,the paper tries to re-establish the setting scene of Cixi’s photography and give a comprehensive interpretative account of the environment,furnishings and clothes appear in the photos.