Pearl River, Kwangtung province, China. Photograph by John Thomson, 1870.

A man sitting on a sandy river-bank to the right, head turned to look at the camera. A neglected and overgrown pagoda, surrounded by trees, on the opposite bank. Houses in the distance

Covering an area of 200,000 square miles, with three branches, the Pearl River was described by John Thomson as the most interesting watercourse in China along with the Yellow River and Yangtze. The Pearl River delta was extremely fertile, and remained to the present day one of the most important agricultural regions in China. At the time of Thomson s visit he noted that every inch of soil was used to grow rice, sugar, tobacco, mulberry, fruits and vegetables. This photograph shows the vastness of the river. In the background stands a pagoda, confirming for Thomson that in this part of China pagodas were really watch-towers, for they always commanded an extensive view of the surrounding landscape. The man sitting by the river brings life to the scene, the addition of a human figure being one of the techniques Thomson used regularly in his landscape photographs

1870

1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion ; glass approximately 20.5 x 25.5 cm (8 x 10 in.)

North branch Pearl River Kwangtung 718 Bears Thomson's negative number: "301"

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

China through the lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Beijing: Beijing World Art Museum, 2009, p. 139 (reproduced)

Wellcome Collection 18860i