THOMSON, John.

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Illustrations of China and its People. First edition of the photographer's magnum opus and one of the most extensive visual records of Qing China. In this magnificent publication, Thomson combines breathtaking landscapes with haunting portraiture, cementing his position as a trailblazing Victorian photojournalist.As Thomson (1837-1921) writes in his introduction, "my design in the accompanying work is to present a series of pictures of China and its people, such as shall convey an accurate impression of the country I traversed as well as of the arts, usages, and manners which prevail in different provinces of the Empire. With this intention, I made the camera the constant companion of my wanderings". He travelled over 6,500 kilometres between 1868 and 1872, sailing along the Pearl and Min rivers to Fuzhou and Beijing, as well as up the great Yangtze River. Many of the key treaty ports, towns, and cities are illustrated, including Hong Kong, Hainan, Macao, Taiwan, Shantou, Shanghai, Nanjing, Jiujiang, and Hangzhou. As a pioneer in the field of photojournalism, he also visited areas that had been relatively unexplored by Westerners due to travel restrictions. Images show the dress of different classes and ethnic groups, including the elaborate coiffures of middle-class women and distinctions between Han and Manchu dress. He also records the cultural practice of foot binding.From another perspective, the work records China in a period of crisis, where population growth put press

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