Projects
Photographers
Books

Log in

All rights to images belong to photographers and are used under fair use for non-commercial purposes. If you have any concerns, please contact us.

Explore

Projects
Photographers
Books

About

Our Mission
F.A.Q.

Connect

Contact Us
Submit Your Project
Donate

Policies

Copyright Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Use

All rights to images belong to photographers and are used under fair use for non-commercial purposes. If you have any concerns, please contact us.

The Encyclopedia of Photography’s Art and History

"Illustrations of China and Its People", John Thomson (1837-1921) | PhotoAnthology

Illustrations of China and Its People

John Thomson (1837-1921)

Ethnographic and artistic exploration of social and cultural traditions in 19th-century China.

With contributions from: MoMA (image source). Suggest an Edit

Illustrations of China and Its People

John Thomson (1837-1921)

Ethnographic and artistic exploration of social and cultural traditions in 19th-century China.

Prince Kung, 1873

A Street in Hong-Kong
1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

A Mendicant Priest, 1873

The Toilet, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Musicians,1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Rolling Scented Caper and Gunpowder Teas, 1873

The Abbot of the Temple, 1873

A Hong-Kong Artist, 1873

Weighing Tea for Exportation,
1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Reading for Honours, 1873

Reeling Silk, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Physic Street, Canton, 1873

Opium-Smoking in a Restaurant, 1873

A Cantonese Gentleman, 1873

Mode of Carrying Child, 1873

Rock Inscription, Amoy,
1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

A Tea House, Canton, 1873

A Tea-Tasting Room, Canton, 1873

Tea Picking in Canton, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Musicians, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

A Canton Boatwoman and Child, 1873

Boat Girls, 1873

Pepohoan Women, 1873

A Catamaran, 1873

The Lady's Maid, 1873

A Bride and Bridegroom,
1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Costume of Baksa Women, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Chain Pumps, 1873

A Cantonese Gentleman, 1873

Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class, 1873

Schroffing Dollars, 1873

A Bride and Bridegroom, 1873

Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class, 1873

Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

The Harbour, Hong-Kong,
1873

A Canton Trading Junk, 1873; Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Books

Thomson's China: Travels and Adventures of a Nineteenth-century Photographer

Oxford University Press, 1994

John Thomson: China and Its People

British Council Visual Arts, 1991

China: Through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-1872

John Thomson: A Window to the Orient

University of New Mexico Press, 1989

John Thomson: Life and Photographs

Thames & Hudson, 1985

Siam & China Through the Lens of John Thomson

River Books, 1970

John Thomson (1837-1921): Photographer

The Stationery Office, 1997

More by John Thomson

The Crawlers

Street Life in London

John Thomson (1837-1921)

An early photography project documenting the living conditions of Victorian London’s urban poor.

Fishing with Cormorants

Foochow and the River Min

John Thomson (1837-1921)

The Min River region’s timeless beauty and cultural transformation during China’s late Qing Dynasty.

Related Projects