Peking, Pechili province, China: enamellers at work. Photograph by John Thomson, 1869.

  • Thomson, J. (John), 1837-1921.
Date:
1869
Reference:
19690i
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About this work

Description

Four young adults enamelling vases at a trestle table in the foreground. Another boy, in the background to the left, working at a treadle lathe. In the late Qing, there was suddenly a craze for enamelware, which could fetch a very high price in the market-place. However the art of making enamelware was becoming a rare skill, with only one or two shops in Beijing managing to carry on the tradition. This shop shown in this photograph was owned by a Manchu. It was situated not far from the French Legation quarter in Dongjiao minxiang. The workers here are rather boyish-looking, but Thomson was very impressed by their perfectionist skills in colour-blending

Publication/Creation

1869

Physical description

1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion : stereograph

Lettering

Enamellers Peking Bears Thomson's negative number: "719"

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

References note

China through the lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Beijing: Beijing World Art Museum, 2009, p. 46 (reproduced)

Reference

Wellcome Collection 19690i

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    By appointmentManual request

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