At the Traders in Hatamen

The black and white photograph captures a bustling street filled with numerous shops and crowds of people. This is likely Hatamen (chin. Chongwenmen 崇文門) Street in Beijing, a place Count Karl frequently visited near the gate of the same name, as well as the adjacent Soochow Hutong. He acquired many of his East Asian art pieces from the antiquarians in this area. In his autobiography, Count Karl noted that he typically rode to the merchants in the city in the afternoons. During lunchtime, other dealers would come directly to the embassies, offering works of art, such as porcelain vases, for sale to the staff of the Western legations.