Fukien province, China: women tea plantation workers. Photograph by John Thomson, 1871.

Five women on a path outside a house, three standing, two sitting. All have exotic hairstyles, one seated on the right hand side has her back to the camera. They were employed by a local tea plantation to work on the farms. According to Thomson they were strong and healthy, and many of them he thought were attractive to the eye: "their glossy black hair is decked with silver ornaments and fresh flowers. Their dress is simple, and remarkable for its bright cleanliness. They never compress their feet, but rather draw the eye to their natural smallness by wearing prettily embroidered shoes."