<p>Fan presented to Captain John Green depicting the <em>Empress of China</em> (far left), 1784<br /> Canton (Guangdong), China<br /> Artist unknown<br /> Paper, gouache, and mother of pearl</p> <p>The <em>Empress of China </em>departed New York on February 22, 1784, to open American trade with China. Businessman Samuel Shaw of Boston, Massachusetts, oversaw the $120,000 cargo of lead, animal skins, cotton, and 27,000 kilograms of ginseng, which the crew exchanged for Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain once it reached Canton. In China, Captain John Green was presented with this fan, which depicts the vessel.</p> <p>Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection, HSP.R-7-39, Painted Paper Fan</p>

Fan presented to Captain John Green depicting the Empress of China (far left), 1784
Canton (Guangdong), China
Artist unknown
Paper, gouache, and mother of pearl

The Empress of China departed New York on February 22, 1784, to open American trade with China. Businessman Samuel Shaw of Boston, Massachusetts, oversaw the $120,000 cargo of lead, animal skins, cotton, and 27,000 kilograms of ginseng, which the crew exchanged for Chinese tea, silk, and porcelain once it reached Canton. In China, Captain John Green was presented with this fan, which depicts the vessel.

Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania Collection, HSP.R-7-39, Painted Paper Fan

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