-
Mervyn Peake in China
At the weekend we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the birth of the artist and writer Mervyn Peake (1911-1968). Most famous for his Gormenghast trilogy – the story of a hermetically sealed earldom decaying within the seams of arcane ritual… Continue reading
-
The Treasure of Rain
As today is the UN World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, we thought we would draw attention to some of the many ways people have sought to cope with drought and its consequences, as found in our collections. The… Continue reading
-
A Wellcome Chinese New Year in Glasgow
Inaugurating the Chinese Year of the Rabbit, the exhibition China through the lens of John Thomson 1868-1872 opened at the Burrell Collection in Glasgow on 4 February 2011. It was opened by Professor Nick Pearce (Director of the Institute for… Continue reading
-
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… Continue reading
-
China then and now: exhibition in Liverpool
A Chinese portrait artist, Hong Kong. Photograph by John Thomson, 1869. Wellcome Library no. 19840i. In or near Liverpool this weekend? Among other attractions in the city, the Wellcome Library’s spectacular exhibition of photographs of Imperial China will be on… Continue reading
-
Imperial China on Liverpool’s waterfront
Dong Xun (1810-1892), Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs in the late Qing, prolific writer, and authority on hydrography. Photograph by John Thomson, 1872, in a digital scan from 2009. Wellcome Library no. 19558i One of the treasures acquired by Henry… Continue reading
-
April in Beijing
On the boulevards of Beijing the trees are in blossom as the Wellcome Library’s exhibition is about to open at the World Art Museum. The exhibition is Beijing’s first opportunity to see the vivid photographs of late Qing dynasty China… Continue reading
-
John Thomson photographs to be displayed in Beijing
A selection of digitised negatives by John Thomson will be displayed at the Beijing World Art Museum in 2009. BBC China highlighted this exhibition recently, including audio commentary and image galleries. The Wellcome Library has recently completed digitising the 650… Continue reading