Tianjin (Tientsin), China: exterior of Notre Dame des Victoires Cathedral. Photograph by John Thomson, 1871.

The exterior of the west front of a ruined church. Leaning against the retaining wall in front are several pieces of timber, probably the floor timbers from the chapel. Notre Dame des Victoires Cathedral, also known as Our Lady of Victory Church or Wang Hailou Church, is a Gothic Revival building that stands on the right bank of the River Hai in Tianjin. Built in 1869, it was 'the only striking object in the city', according to Thomson, and a 'dreadful eyesore to the natives, towering as it did high above any of their most sacred buildings, and drawing down evil influences from the sky'. The cathedral was destroyed in 1870 during the Tianjin Massacre, and was not restored until 1896. The photo was taken in the year following the Massacre