China: a Manchu man with a servant, Beijing. Photograph by John Thomson, 1869.
- Thomson, J. (John), 1837-1921.
- Date:
- 1869
- Reference:
- 19562i
- Pictures
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Description
A Manchu man with a servant, Beijing. He sits with his legs crossed in a shady courtyard beside a building. He is wearing spectacles and holding a pipe. A teacup, teapot and tea-caddy are on the Chinese-style table. Another man, apparently a servant, is standing behind to the left. Both men wear plumed hats. Here we see that Thomson, while becoming increasingly interested in the life of ordinary people, was by no means abandoning the formal portrait. The backdrop of this photo is familiar, for it appears in several street photos he took of Beijing
Publication/Creation
1869
Physical description
1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion : stereograph ; glass approximately 10.5 x 21.5 cm (4 x 8 in.)
Contributors
Lettering
Chinese mandarin
Bears Thomson's negative number: "659"
References note
China through the lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Beijing: Beijing World Art Museum, 2009, p. 24 (reproduced)
Notes
This is one of a collection of original glass negatives made by John Thomson. The negatives, made between 1868 and 1872, were purchased from Thomson by Sir Henry Wellcome in 1921
Reference
Wellcome Collection 19562i
Type/Technique
Languages
Subjects
Where to find it
Location Status Access Closed storesBy appointment Manual request Note