Thank you to Olivier, Thierry, and Jean-Luc for their help in writing this note.

J. Chinh, an amateur photographer, lived in Quang Yen. A professional interpreter, he had privileged access to barracks, military training grounds, and all the sites frequented by soldiers. To supplement his income, he reproduced his photographs on postcard-sized photographic paper and sold them to the soldiers he interacted with daily, who were eager to send keepsakes to their families.

At the heart of military life and daily activities, his innovative photos were not only beautiful but also very popular. However, the success they enjoyed was not unanimous, especially among professional photographers, who were also trying to make a living from their art.

J. Chinh also sent his postcards to correspondents in France, and that is how we learned that he regularly complained about the theft of his photos. Victim of theft and looting, his photos disappeared from the postcard stalls offered to the soldiers.

The production of J. Chinh’s postcards ceased around 1910. Some claim that J. Chinh was sent as an interpreter to an Indochinese trading post in China, others believe he died of cholera in Haiphong, while still others maintain that, for a fee, he agreed to give up his passion.

Cartacaro does not know, but if you have any information, do not hesitate to send it to Cartacaro. One thing is certain, his production amounts to around a hundred postcards, possibly two hundred. They are all photo cards. The caption is sometimes accompanied by a variable number, for example 33 bis, 33 ter for the same view. They are all printed on Lumière paper except for the last ones from 1909, which are on Bonal paper.-

They were reproduced by the publishers Fauvel, Dieulefils, and at least three others, but without indicating the publisher’s name, and there is even a publisher from Marseille... Cartacaro continues his research and will provide more information in 2025.
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Here, to illustrate these remarks, is the justice series entitled ’la Cadouille’. The exact order of the cards is not really known ; J. Chinh does not have the same order as Dieulefils, who in turn does not have the same chronological order as Fauvel.

Signature éditeur inconnu

Signature éditeur Fauvel
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Another publisher illustrated this scene, Victor Planté, but with other cards that also have a different story. -

As for the theft of photos, Cartacaro attended a lecture at the Louvre Museum on photography, where the speaker explained and demonstrated that during the 1920s, theft among photographers was common. "They stole, they plundered," she said.
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