Imperial China comes to Hartlepool

Those of you with a good memory might recall previous postings here about the exhibition China: Through the Lens of John Thomson 1868-72 opening first in Beijing last year, and then in Liverpool earlier this year. Well, its tour of the UK continues when it opens at the Hartlepool Art Gallery on 4th September. It will run until 13th November and will include over 100 reproductions of Thomson’s wonderful photographs of the people and landscapes of China in the 19th century.

The exhibition is a joint collaboration between the Wellcome Library (who own the original glass negatives from which the reproductions were made), and Betty Yao, an independent curator. Having been closely involved with the exhibition’s creation, I can attest to the beauty of the photographs and the high quality of the scholarly input that has gone into their accompanying labels. They offer a fascinating insight into life in China at the time, so if you’re in the area, pop by the museum to have a look!

Image: Camel sculptures on the road to the Ming tombs outside Peking. Photograph by John Thomson, 1871 (Wellcome Library no. 19258i)

Author: Rowan de Saulles