Sidney David Gamble (1890–1968) was a social economist, humanitarian, and photographer. Born in Ohio, his grandfather, James Gamble (1803–1891), was one of the founders of Procter & Gamble. In 1908, Sidney Gamble first travelled with his parents to Hangzhou, China, where he was fascinated by the ancient culture but shocked by the poverty. After graduating from Princeton University, he earned a master’s degree in social economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He then travelled to China three times: from 1917 to 1919; from 1924 to 1927; and from 1931 to 1932. He volunteered as a social research officer for the YMCA in Beijing and for the Chinese Civilian Education Movement and worked at Yenching University. His Peking: A Social Survey (1921) and Price, Wages, and The Standard of Living in Peking, 1900-1924 (1926) were the first books to use social surveys to study all aspects of Beijing society, and they remain important reference materials for studying Beijing in that period.
Gamble was also an accomplished amateur photographer. His photographs, taken between 1908 and 1932, represent an extraordinary contribution to the visual archive for an important period in Chinese history from which few images survive today. In 1984, fifteen years after Gamble’s death, his daughter Catherine Curran, found a trove of nitrate negatives in a closet in the family’s home in New York, stored in beautiful rosewood boxes. In 1986, Catherine Curran established the Sidney D. Gamble Foundation for China Studies to provide for preservation and access to the photographs. In 2006, Duke University Libraries signed a formal agreement with Mrs. Curran, to place Sidney Gamble’s photographs in Duke University Libraries.
Duke University Libraries started digitization immediately and a digital collection was released in 2008. There are nearly 5000 black and white photographs, 600 colored slides and some documentary films in the digital collection. Through his education in the social sciences, Gamble brings to his photography an informed perspective that extends beyond the simple documentation of the passage to modernity. His intimate photographs of people in the midst of a transitioning society demonstrate a sensitivity to individual humanity and the phenomena of everyday life. This broad array of portraits of men and women engaged in the various activities of public life provide us with a glimpse of social change not as a mere institutional process, but as the lived experience of a diversity of people.
Sidney Gamble had been closely associated with China Institute since its inception in 1926. He was a member of China Institute’s first advisory board in 1930.
This lecture, presented by the Renwen Society at China Institute, will be delivered by Ms. Luo Zhou, Chinese Studies Librarian at Duke University Libraries, on Saturday, June 14, 2025, from 8:00 to 9:30 PM (EDT). She will introduce Gamble’s life and discuss Duke University’s extensive collection of his photographs of China.
西德尼·甘博（1890-1968）是社会经济学家，人道主义者和摄影家。甘博出生在美国的俄亥俄州，其祖父詹姆斯·甘博（James Gamble,1803-1891）是宝洁公司（Procter & Gamble）的创始人之一。西德尼·甘博1908年随父母第一次来到中国的杭州旅行，为中国的古老文化着迷，也为她的贫穷感到震惊。甘博普林斯顿大学毕业后，在加州大学伯克利分校获得了社会经济学硕士。随后，他三次来到中国，分别是1917—1919年、1924年—1927年以及1931年—1932年。甘博先后任北京基督教青年会和中国平民教育运动的社会调查干事，并就职燕京大学。 甘博在1921年出版的《北京的社会调查》和1926出版的《二十五年来北京之物价工资及生活程度》等，最早用社会调查的方法对北京社会生活各方面进行了梳理，至今仍然是研究那个时期北京社会的重要参考资料。
甘博也是一位出色的摄影师。他在1908-1932间拍摄的中国各地的照片为民国初年的中国社会建立起了一套丰富的图像档案。1984年，甘博去世十五年以后，他的女儿凯瑟琳·科伦夫人，机缘巧合在家里的阁楼里发现了这些保存完整的照片。1986年科伦夫人成立了西德尼·D·甘博中国研究基金会致力于照片的保存与推广。杜克大学图书馆于2006和科伦夫人签署了正式的收藏协议，让这些照片最终落户在杜克大学的鲁宾斯坦图书馆。图书馆随后开始甘博照片数据库的筹划。整个数据库在2008年秋初步完成，向公众开放。
甘博照片数据库中有将近5000幅黑白照片，600幅彩色幻灯片以及多部黑白纪录片。作为受过专业训练的社会学家，甘博的镜头不是简单冰冷的记录，他捕捉到了人们生活的各种鲜活场景，透漏出了他的人道关怀。镜头下的男男女女所展示的丰富画面显示出社会变化正渗透到日常的方方面面。
西德尼·甘博自1926年华美协进社创立之初即积极参与其活动，1930年担任华美协进社首届顾问委员会委员。
华美人文学会特邀杜克大学图书馆员周珞女士，于美东时间2025年6月14日（星期六）晚8时至9时30分（北京时间6月15日早8时至9时30分），举办《西德尼·甘博和他拍摄的中国》专题讲座，介绍甘博的生平，以及杜克大学馆藏中他拍摄的中国影像资料。
