May 12, 2009

John Thomson

manchu-wedding.jpeg
Don't know if I have many readers left in Beijing, but if so, be sure to head over to the Beijing World Art Museum to check out an exhibition of work by Scottish photographer John Thomson, one of those great intrepid 19th century traveling photographers. Many of the 150+ images in the exhibition have never been shown before... Go if only to see pictures of old Beijing. Wish I could go see the show in person or at least look at more images online.

More Images: Portfolio 1, Portfolio 2, and many more hidden out there on google image search.

posted at 08:36 AM by raul

Filed under: photography

TAGS: china (24) english photography (1) glass plate (1) vernacular (14)

Comments:

05/12/09 05:01 PM

I saw a smaller exhibition of his work in Edinburgh a few years ago. Fascinating stuff.

05/12/09 08:29 PM

nice timing, I'm working there for a couple of weeks, i shall check it out...

05/14/09 05:59 AM

Hi Raul,
i like you blog. yesterday, i found a lot of visters came from the www.mexicanpictures.com. and then, i found here. thanks for you like.
i hope we can exchange the blog links if you don't mind. thanks, anyway!

Cony

05/14/09 03:58 PM

You can see more images on the BBC's website here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8007041.stm

05/29/09 12:52 AM

Love it.

10/26/12 08:51 AM

I saw the exhibition in the Liverpool Maritime Museum. Fabulous stuff. The images remain so crisp that it feels like his subjects are there, looking back at you.

Fascinating insight into how the West saw China in the 19th century.

There is a book of his work, but it's quite old (1970s or 1980s), so it's unfortunately not of as great a quality as you'd wish.

12/14/14 08:48 AM

I have a reproduction of this image by Thompson, the one of the Mandchu Bride, dated 1876.. i bought it from a London specialised agency called "Atlas Editions" which doesn't seem to exist anymore. If anybody knows about this agency please let me know as they had some wonderful color as well as black and white photography reproductions of high quality by other photographers from the early 20th century.

I specially remeber a series of color photos of travel to Tibet ca 1930

Thanks very much, HS

Add your thoughts: