Early pictures on the art papers were usually based on the traditional themes of Chinese painting: scenery, young ladies, and drama characters, to name a few. Later on, renowned and virtuous young women became frequent images. In keeping with the social fashion of the day, the effeminacy and gentility of the lady figures were eternal, so the calendar was also named “beautiful woman calendar”. The ladies’ images represented the artistic tide of their own times. Ladies of early calendars look reserved and delicate, but starting in the 1920s, the ladies begin to dress in a fashionable way. After 1940s, the ladies appear even more modern by wearing watches, playing the piano, riding motorcars and playing golf. The change vividly reflects the evolution of China’s social aesthetic taste.
Calendar pictures not only achieved the purpose of promotion, but also fulfilled the populace’s great hunger for beauty. The picturesque cards portray great beauties, and also inspire people to pursue a beautiful life. Thus their impact is far-reaching. The thing is, some people took the pictures home to decorate their houses, while others collected the rare ones to give them out as special presents.
The heyday of calendar pictures ended immediately after the invasion by Japan and the subsequent closing of many national enterprises. Though some companies also issued some similar pictures after the restoration of peace, the works could hardly rival their early counterparts in both innovativeness and quality. Then, in the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, the spreading of these pictures was banned because they were seen as the residue of feudalism. By the 1970s, much more hi-tech printings, digital ads and desk-calendars had appeared as a result of scientific development. As a result, calendar pictures gradually faded away, leaving us only the vintage smile and the yellowed memory of the prosperous age to which they belonged.
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