Nanjing Red Cross Care Worker Second Sino-Japanese War – Custom Printed Brick Block Figure

English Title & Specific Name

Figure Title: Nanjing Red Cross Care Worker Second Sino-Japanese War

Historical Era: Second Sino-Japanese War / 1937–1945; Nanjing relief context, 1937–1938

Faction / Military Branch: China / civilian humanitarian relief; red-cross-marked care-worker theme

Detailed Character Identification, Description, and Historical Background

Character Identification

This custom printed brick block figure depicts an unnamed care worker in a Nanjing civilian relief theme. Its dominant red cross appears inside a light circular chest medallion with bead-like chain printing. A smaller red-swastika badge is also visible, linking the design to the collection’s Chinese charitable-relief theme.

Detailed Character Description

• Headgear & Face: The front views show a rounded black cap with layered band shapes and reddish-brown accents. The face has lifted brows, a small downturned mouth and brown-red printed marks on one cheek.
• Torso & Emblems: Black clothing carries a large red cross inside a white circular medallion. Pale bead-like lines form a chain around the upper chest, while a smaller blue-and-red swastika motif sits to one side.
• Clothing & Rear Printing: Tan-brown weathered-looking patches and dark seam outlines continue across the clothing. The collection rear view shows the pale bead-like neck line and worn-looking back details, with molded black hair instead of the front cap.
• Legs & Footwear: Black trousers have subtle crease and seam details. Black shoes have pale scuffed-looking edging along their fronts.
• Pictured Headgear: The full figure includes its pictured front-view cap.

Historical / Thematic Background

Civilian relief in Nanjing during 1937–1938 involved several cooperating organizations. An April 1938 report names both the local Red Cross Society and the Red Swastika Society among the groups connected with the relief effort. This care-worker design brings a red-cross-centered appearance into that broader humanitarian setting.

The red cross on a white background was adopted as a medical-relief emblem in 1863 and recognized by the first Geneva Convention in 1864. Its simple contrasting colors made it readily recognizable. The large circular chest design uses that visual language to communicate care, with the printed chain giving it a distinctive personal presentation.

A care-worker theme extends beyond the physician's treatment role. A civilian aid scene can suggest reassurance, help with basic needs and support for people waiting for assistance. The figure's empty hands, subdued expression and worn-looking black clothing place that practical human focus at the center of the design.

A smaller red-swastika badge also appears on the torso, connecting the miniature with the collection's Chinese charity imagery. Its historical value is therefore thematic: it offers a way to show different forms of civilian help within one display. The contrasting emblems and the two care workers' different chest prints make useful points of comparison without treating the figure as a portrait of a documented person.