Nellie Weber lived in Peking (now Beijing) China from 1946-1949, where she worked in the Peiyang Press for Mrs. Ludmilla Ahtam. Mrs. Ahtam had acquired the press from Catholic Marist Priests in 1945. She turned it into a music shop selling classical records, sheet music, and musical instruments. She kept part of the press running, printing such things as business cards, announcements, and invitations.

The press was in a large store in the Legation Quarter of Peking and had floor to ceiling windows. A Mr. Li, a well-known local Chinese photographer, asked Mrs. Ahtam if she would display these photographs in her window. The assumption is that the the photographs were taken by Mr. Li. However, some of them are printed or pasted down on deckle edged paper and stamped on the back is "Copyright Serge Vargassoff," so some of these at least are not photos taken by Mr. Li.

These are photgrapahs taken in China before the Marco Polo Bridge incident in 1937, and may include views of the Forbidden City.