Christian evangelistic and religious education posters and Christian scrolls and Bible verses, 1930-1949

Printing and publishing were important aspects of the Christian mission to China from its earliest days. With the advent of modern printing technologies, however, missions gained the ability to produce large - format poster s and scrolls in large numbers and at low cost. These printed images were an important tool in the missionaries' programs of proselytization and education. Several institutions, groups and organizations contributed to the production of large - format printed images in China in the early twentieth - century, many of them also publishing pamphlets, tracts and books.

Founded in 1877 as the Society for the Diffusion of Christian and General Knowledge among the Chinese, in 1906 the society changed its name to the Christian Literature Society for China 廣學會. Based in Shanghai, it was instrumental in publishing works on Western science and religion in Chinese, and cooperated with other organizations such as the American Presbyterian Mission Press 美華書館. The society was responsible for publishing most of the posters in Series 1 in cooperation with Jinling Seminary 金陵神學院 . Also known as Nanjing Theological Seminary, this school was founded in 1907 by the Presbyterian Church in the United States and the PCUSA. It later gained the support of the Disciples of Christ, the Methodist Episcopal Church, and the MEC, South. In 1952 it was reformed into the Jinling Union Theological Seminary, and continues to be active today.

The Religious Tract Society for China 基督聖教書會 was established in 1921 through the merger of the Religious Tract Society for North and Central China, and the Chinese Tract Society. It was supported by British, Canadian and American Tract societies, and in its first year of combined operation had a reported circulation of more than two and a half million. The society published many of the posters in Series 1, and all of the items in Series 2. One year after the society's founding in 1922, the National Christian Council of China 中華全國基督教協進會 was established as a non-denominational consultative body for Protestant mission organizations in China. It is cited as having been involved in producing some of the posters in Series 1.

Two American artists are represented in the collection through their work for the United China Relief organization. James Montgomery Flagg 裴雷葛, 1877-1960, was an artist and illustrator, perhaps best-known for his depiction of Uncle Sam in an American recruitment poster from the First World War Martha Sawyers, 1902-1988, was famous for her illustrations of foreign peoples and places, and produced a number of illustrations for posters and advertisements featuring Chinese figures.