Rare Historical Photos of China and Hong Kong from 1868-1872 by a Scottish Photographer

John Thomson, a Scottish photographer and travel writer, traversed China four times during the second half of the nineteenth century. He captured scenes and people from all walks of life, including ministers, high-ranking officials, wealthy traders, street vendors, brides, boat women, monks, and soldiers, leaving a lasting legacy of China’s landscapes, architecture, communities, and customs.

#1 A Foreign Settlement, Shantou, Guangdong, 1871

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#2 A Cantonese Schoolboy, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 1869

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#3 A Manchu Bride, Beijing, 1871

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#4 A Boatwoman, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 1869

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#5 Sedan Chair, Hong Kong, 1868

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#6 The Veranda of a Chinese Teahouse, Hong Kong, 1868

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#7 A Cantonese Family of Kowloon, Hong Kong, 1869

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#8 Praya or Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong, 1869

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#9 Cochrane Street with Lyndhurst Terrace slices across the background, Wellington Street crosses the middle and a pawn shop on the Northeast corner, 1870

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#10 Queen’s Road East, close to where the old Wanchai Market is, Hong Kong, 1869

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#11 Regatta at Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong, 1871

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#12 Kellett’s Island, looking west or WSW across Wanchai towards Central and the Peak, with HMS Princess Charlotte, 1858

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#13 Pedder Street, looking north from the intersection with Des Voeux Road, Hong Kong, 1869

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#14 A Chinese Portrait Artist, Hong Kong, 1869

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#15 Cemetery in Happy Valley, with the gable end of the roof of the Chapel of Ease appears behind the bamboos on the left edge, 1869

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#16 Racecourse, Happy Valley, from the south side of Morrison Hill looking ESE over the race course to Jardine’s Lookout, Hong Kong, 1869

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#17 City Hall with two posed Chinese males at the base of the building’s near corner, 1869

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#18 Lyndhurst Street in the Central District during H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh’s brief visit in 1869

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#19 Fishtail Rock (To Kwa Wan Island or Hoi Sham Island) off To Kwa Wan, Kowloon, 1869

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#20 An old woman on street, Guangzhou, 1868

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#21 A Cantonese beauty holds an open painted fan and stands before a folding screen Guangdong, 1869

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#22 A Cantonese Woman, Guangdong, 1869

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