A triptych of photographic portraits unveils a Manchu family scene in Beijing, in 1871, which few outsiders would have seen. In front of an ordinary house, a Manchu woman in her 40s appears with her daughter-in-law and three grandchildren in one frame, and with her daughter-in-law in two others.

Sitting on a bench and holding the youngest child, the woman wears a content smile. In the images where she appears with her daughter-in-law, her smile is replaced by an indifferent, even severe visage. The daughter-in-law looks down, lower than the camera, suggesting a deference to her mother-in-law.

The rare photos were taken by Scottish photographer John Thomson (1837-1921) and are among the 148 on show at the Beijing World Art Museum.

The exhibition, called China: Through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-72, includes portraits, landscapes, architecture, domestic and street scenes shot in Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Guangdong and Fujian provinces. This is the first time the photos are being shown in the land where they were taken 130 years ago.

"Looking at these old photos, one has to appreciate Thomson's efforts," says Betty Yao, curator of the exhibition. "Through these pictures we can sense a love of China, a curiosity about the Oriental and an appreciation of different cultures."

Born in Hong Kong and now a program director of a non-profit organization in London, Yao first saw these photographs at the Wellcome Library, a London-based collection put together by Sir Henry Solomon Wellcome (1853-1936), a businessman and art connoisseur. Fascinated by these images, Yao spent three years trying to take these to China.

John Thomson was one of the many British travelers who arrived in China in the late 19th century.
The Scottish photographer was taken in by the vast landscape of China and the traditional lifestyles of the local people. During his stay, Thomson won the trust of the natives and often had access to their households.

He would get to photograph subjects and people that were rarely captured by others at the time, including female members of rich families and high-ranking officials such as Prince Gong, a younger brother of Emperor Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

Through his lens, viewers can catch a glimpse of the life of upper-class Manchu ladies, in their exquisite costumes, their feet unbound.

The brides that Thomson portrayed often appeared with sad eyes, reflecting a gloomy view of their relationship with stern mothers-in-law.

Back in Britain, Thomson presented the photographs to numerous publishing houses and earned the name "China" Thomson. Historians say he played a significant role in linking the East and West.

Thomson found Chinese women's coiffure fascinating. A horn-shaped hair accessory, worn by one of his subjects, Thomson thought, might as well be used as a weapon against her antagonistic husband. Besides Manchu women, Thomson also photographed minority women wearing strange hairstyles and accessories in the south.

Chinese portraiture at the time was mostly about expressionless faces and upright posture. But Thomson added his own touch. For example, he used chiaroscuro art technique in a Cantonese official's portrait. A Cantonese woman was photographed leaning on the doorway with her left hand on it, rather than the usual stiff, upright posture.

Thomson also took a great number of landscape photographs, such as the arched door of the Confucius Temple in Beijing, the ruined temple in the Summer Palace and the stone sculptures in the Ming Tombs.

"The images present a part of Chinese history whose traces are hard to find," says Shelagh Lester-Smith, who works at a courtyard hotel in Beijing, while visiting the exhibition.

Like many foreigners, Lester-Smith says she has great interest in traditional ways of life in China.
"Today's Beijing is a very modern city, similar to any Western metropolis. Thomson's photographs feature unusual and rare scenes," she says.

After the Beijing debut, the exhibition will travel to Fujian Museum, Guangzhou Museum and Dongguan Exhibition Center. A show at the Liverpool Museum, UK, is on the cards.


Time: 9 am-5 pm, until May 18

Place: Beijing World Art Museum, China Millennium Monument, A9 Fuxinglu, Haidian district, 5980-2222

Visitors enjoy the late Qing Dynasty scenes recorded by Scottish photographer John Thomson. In the portrait of a Cantonese official, the photographer employed chiaroscuro technique which was against the rules of portrait photograph at that time.

Sitting on a bench and holding the youngest child, the woman wears a content smile. In the images where she appears with her daughter-in-law, her smile is replaced by an indifferent, even severe visage. The daughter-in-law looks down, lower than the camera, suggesting a deference to her mother-in-law.