John Thomson
(1837-1921)
John Thomson FRGS (14 June 1837 – 29 September 1921) was a pioneering Scottish photographer, geographer, and traveller. He was one of the first photographers to travel to the Far East, documenting the people, landscapes and artefacts of eastern cultures. Upon returning home, his work among the street people of London cemented his reputation, and is regarded as a classic instance of social documentary which laid the foundations for photojournalism. He went on to become a portrait photographer of high society in Mayfair, gaining the royal warrant in 1881.
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An early photography project documenting the living conditions of Victorian London’s urban poor.
The Min River region’s timeless beauty and cultural transformation during China’s late Qing Dynasty.
Ethnographic and artistic exploration of social and cultural traditions in 19th-century China.
Books
Street Life In London
(Legare Street Press, 2023)
Street Life in London: Context and Commentary
(MuseumsEtc, 2014)
London Street Photography 1860-2010
(Dewi Lewis Publishing, 2012)
John Thomson: A Window to the Orient
(University of New Mexico Press, 1989)
John Thomson (1837-1921): Photographer
(The Stationery Office, 1997)
Siam & China Through the Lens of John Thomson
(River Books, 1970)
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)
John Thomson: Life and Photographs
(Thames & Hudson, 1985)
