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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class, 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

Street Life in London

John Thomson (1837-1921)

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

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

The Village

Paul Strand (1890-1976)

Portrayal of rural Italian village life, revealing intimate details of community members in domestic and communal spaces, highlighting unromanticized realities of post-war Italy.

Young Farmers, 1914. Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

People of the 20th Century

August Sander (1876-1964)

Typological photographic study documenting German societal archetypes through seven thematic groups, spanning decades and social strata.

A Profile of France

Paul Strand (1890-1976)

Post-war French rural life, traditions, and landscapes through the lens of an American photographer and the words of a French poet.

Untitled, 1929-31. Collection of The Museum of Modern Art. Image courtesy of MoMA.

Roll, Jordan, Roll

Doris Ulmann (1882-1934)

African American life and culture in rural South Carolina during an era of social and cultural transition.

Behind the Saint-Lazare station, Paris, 1932. Image courtesy of Magnum Photos.

The Decisive Moment

Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004)

Ephemeral human moments portrayed through a fusion of spontaneity and precise composition.

The Old Closes and Streets of Glasgow

Thomas Annan (1829-1887)

The structural and social conditions of Glasgow’s slums before their demolition as part of urban improvement efforts in the late 19th century.