Skip to main content

Search

My Visit
Donate
Home Smithsonian Institution

Site Navigation

  • Visit
    • Hours and Locations
    • Entry and Guidelines
    • Maps and Floor Plans
    • Dining and Shopping
    • Accessibility
    • Visiting with Kids
    • Group Visits
  • What's On
    • Exhibitions
      • Current Exhibitions
      • Upcoming
      • Past Exhibitions
      • Online Exhibitions
    • Today's Events
    • Online Events
    • All Events
    • IMAX & Planetarium
  • Explore
    • Art & Design
    • History & Culture
    • Science & Conservation
    • Collections
      • Open Access
    • Research Resources
      • Libraries
      • Archives
        • Smithsonian Institution Archives
        • Air and Space Museum
        • Anacostia Community Museum
        • American Art Museum
        • Archives of American Art
        • Archives of American Gardens
        • American History Museum
        • American Indian Museum
        • Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives, African Art
        • Freer and Sackler Archives
        • Hirshhorn Archive
        • National Anthropological Archives
        • National Portrait Gallery
        • Ralph Rinzler Archives, Folklife
        • Libraries' Special Collections
    • Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Mobile Apps
  • Learn
    • For Kids and Teens
    • For Educators
      • Resources
      • Field Trips
      • Professional Development
      • Events
    • Youth Programs
    • Fellowships and Internships
  • Get Involved
    • Volunteer
      • Behind-the-Scenes
      • Digital Volunteers
      • Smithsonian Call Center
      • Visitor Information Specialist
      • Docent Programs
    • Citizen Science
    • Work with Us
      • Office of Human Resources
        • Working Here
        • Employee Benefits
        • Job Opportunities
        • How to Apply
        • Job Seekers with Disabilities
        • Frequently Asked Questions
        • SI Civil Program
        • Contact Us
      • Affiliations
      • Global Partners
  • Support
    • About Membership
    • Become a Member
    • Renew Your Membership
    • Make a Gift
  • About
    • Museums and Zoo
    • Research Centers
    • Cultural Centers
    • Education
    • Our Organization
      • Leadership
        • Secretary Bunch
        • Advancement
        • Communications
        • Administration
        • Education
        • Museums and Culture
        • Science and Research
      • Board of Regents
        • Members
        • Committees
        • Reading Room
        • Bylaws, Policies and Procedures
        • Contact
        • Schedules and Agendas
        • Meeting Minutes
        • Actions
        • Webcasts
      • General Counsel
        • Legal History
        • Internships
        • Records Requests
          • Reading Room
        • Tort Claim
        • Subpoenas & Testimonies
        • Events
      • Equal Employment Office
        • EEO Complaint Process
        • Individuals with Disabilities
        • Special Emphasis Program
        • Supplier Diversity Program
          • Doing Business with Us
          • Policies and Procedures
          • Additional Resources
      • Sponsored Projects
        • Policies
          • Animal Care and Use
          • Human Research
        • Reports
        • Internships
    • Reports and Plans
      • Annual Reports
      • Metrics Dashboard
        • Dashboard Home
        • Virtual Smithsonian
        • Public Engagement
        • National Collections
        • Research
        • People & Operations
        • One Smithsonian
      • Strategic Plan
    • Newsdesk
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • Photos and Video
      • Media Kits
      • Fact Sheets
      • Visitor Stats
      • Secretary and Admin Bios
      • Filming Requests

Moon Kwan

National Portrait Gallery
Social Media Share Tools
    • Print

Object Details

Artist
Margrethe Mather, 1886 - 1952
Sitter
Moon Kwan, 1896 - 1995
Exhibition Label
Born Guangzhou, China
Moon Kwan was a pivotal figure in the development of the Chinese film industry, who began his career in Hollywood during cinema’s formative years. A native of China, Kwan initially moved to San Francisco before relocating to Los Angeles in 1915 to pursue his interest in filmmaking. He found work as a writer and actor but made his principal contribution as an advisor on Chinese culture to director D. W. Griffith during the filming of the silent classic Broken Blossoms (1919).
Returning to China in 1921, Kwan established a film company near Shanghai and later taught acting and scriptwriting in Hong Kong. In 1933, he cofounded the Grandview Film Company in San Francisco to make Chinese-language films for the U.S. market. After opening a branch of the company in Hong Kong, in 1935, Kwan directed more than fifty films there while continuing to promote and distribute Chinese films in the United States.
Nacido en Cantón, China
Moon Kwan, figura central en el desarrollo de la industria cinematográfica china, comenzó su carrera en Hollywood durante los años formativos del cine. Nacido en China, Kwan se trasladó a San Francisco antes de radicarse en Los Ángeles en 1915, motivado por su interés en el cine. Encontró trabajo como escritor y actor, pero su aportación más importante fue como consultor de cultura china para el director D. W. Griffith durante la filmación del clásico silente Lirios rotos (1919).
De regreso a China en 1921, Kwan estableció una compañía de cine cerca de Shanghái y luego enseñó actuación y escritura de guiones en Hong Kong. En 1933 cofundó la Grandview Film Company en San Francisco, que produjo películas en chino para el mercado estadounidense. En 1935 abrió una división de la compañía en Hong Kong y dirigió allí más de 50 películas, a la vez que promovía y distribuía películas chinas en EE.UU.
Credit Line
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
c. 1918
Object number
NPG.2011.21
Restrictions & Rights
Usage conditions apply
Type
Photograph
Medium
Gelatin silver print
Dimensions
Image/Sheet: 13 x 10.6 cm (5 1/8 x 4 3/16")
Mount: 20.3 x 16.2 cm (8 x 6 3/8")
Mat: 45.7 x 35.6 cm (18 x 14")
Place
United States\California\San Francisco\San Francisco
See more items in
National Portrait Gallery Collection
National Portrait Gallery
Topic
Moon Kwan: Male
Moon Kwan: Literature\Writer\Poet
Moon Kwan: Performing Arts\Performing arts director\Film director
Portrait
Record ID
npg_NPG.2011.21
Metadata Usage (text)
Not determined
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/sm48d38b5f6-908b-433c-bd1b-f19dda0f706a

Related Content

  • 1918: A Year in the Collections

  • Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage in the Collections

  • The Movies

There are restrictions for re-using this image. For more information, visit the Smithsonian's Terms of Use page .
International media Interoperability Framework
IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
View manifest View in Mirador Viewer

Footer logo

Link to homepage

Footer navigation

  • Contact Us
  • Press Room
  • Human Resources
  • Host Your Event
  • Access Smithsonian
  • EEO & Supplier Diversity
  • Inspector General
  • Records Requests
  • Privacy
  • Terms of Use

Social media links

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Email signup form

Email powered by BlackBaud (Privacy Policy, Terms of Use)
Back to Top