Bidspirit auction | Group of 19th c. Chinese

Group of 19th c. Chinese Missionary Ephemera - Group of nine pieces of ephemera and archival objects once belonging to Augustus Ward Loomis (American, 1816-1891), 19th century. This lot contains two folding boxes, one woven basket, a hair comb, pipe, opium scale enclosed in a lacquered wood case, and three stitched or stab-bound books including one hand-written bible in the Ningbo dialect, where Loomis was once stationed, in Zhejiang Province, China. Possibly once part of the Cornell University Augustus Ward Loomis Collection. Augustus Ward Loomis and his wife, Mary Ann Loomis, were Presbyterian missionaries stationed throughout China, including in Chekiang or Zhejiang Province, during the mid- to late 19th century. They were involved in various initiatives aimed at education, healthcare, and religion, establishing schools, clinics, and churches in the region. Loomis's work reflected the broader efforts of missionaries at the time and his time in China was marked by the complexities of cultural exchange and the challenges raised by foreign missionaries in a rapidly changing society. Height ranges from 1/4 in to 4 in; width ranges from 1/4 in to 6 1/2 in; depth ranges from 1/4 in to 2 1/2 in. Condition: Wear throughout, as expected with age and use including toning, handling marks, and some soiling to the books; accretions to the cloth boxes, scratches to the pipe and cases, and a small loss to one of the tines along the comb.