Lot 185

(IMMIGRATION.) Carte-de-visite of pioneering Burmese medical student Shaw Loo, circa mid-1860s

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(IMMIGRATION.) Carte-de-visite of pioneering Burmese medical student Shaw Loo, circa mid-1860s

Estimate: $500 - $750

Starting Bid: $375

(0 Bids)

by Swann Auction Galleries
June 25, 2026 10:30 AM EDT
Live Auction
104 East 25th Street
New York, NY, US 10010



Carte-de-visite of pioneering Burmese medical student Shaw Loo.
Cleveland, OH: Foljambe Brothers, circa mid-1860s
Albumen photograph, 3¼ x 2 inches, on photographer's mount; corners clipped, inscribed on verso in three early hands "Mong Shaw Loo, Maulmain, Burmah, India," and apparently signed in Burmese below photograph.

Shaw Loo (1839-1929) was the first student from Burma to study in the United States, working as a cabin boy to earn passage in 1858 so he could study at Bucknell University and then Cleveland Medical College. In 1867, he returned as the first western-trained Burmese physician, and spent decades practicing in his home city of Moulmein (now known as Mawlamyine, Myanmar).  

  • Medium: Cleveland, OH: Foljambe Brothers, circa mid-1860s
  • Condition: Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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