First View Seen in Pekin, Taken from Anting Gate
Photograph
ca. 13 October 1860 (photographed)
ca. 13 October 1860 (photographed)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Having established his reputation as a professional photographer documenting military conflicts in the Crimea and India during the 1850s, Italian-born Felice Beato arrived in China in March 1860 during the final months of the Second Opium War. Accompanying the Anglo-French expeditionary force, which went on to seize Beijing and force the Chinese Empire to accede to sweeping political and economic demands, Beato’s views, combining topographical and military information, provided a visual record of the Imperial campaign. They were often included in ‘progress’ reports sent from Hong Kong to the commanding officer of the British army.
Beato also sold his images of China to British officers as unmounted prints with his stock number, title, and date written in pencil on the verso of each print. By assembling a selection of images, the purchaser could construct a personal visual record. Albums, such as the one from which this view was taken, have differing numbers of prints, and are a reflection of the owner's personal military career. But even before the ‘narrative’ was constructed by the purchaser, Beato himself controlled the story, determining what was considered worthy of recording and eliminating any conflicting viewpoints. These views were absorbed by the public as part of a larger visual memory documenting England’s rise as an Imperial power.
Beato also sold his images of China to British officers as unmounted prints with his stock number, title, and date written in pencil on the verso of each print. By assembling a selection of images, the purchaser could construct a personal visual record. Albums, such as the one from which this view was taken, have differing numbers of prints, and are a reflection of the owner's personal military career. But even before the ‘narrative’ was constructed by the purchaser, Beato himself controlled the story, determining what was considered worthy of recording and eliminating any conflicting viewpoints. These views were absorbed by the public as part of a larger visual memory documenting England’s rise as an Imperial power.
Object details
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Object type | |
Titles |
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Materials and techniques | Albumen print from wet collodion on glass negative |
Brief description | Photograph by Felice Beato, originally from the album Views in China, 'Houses in Pekin near the gates - giving a capital idea of the whole place', albumen print, 1860 |
Physical description | A sepia-coloured photograph showing Chinese rooftops and a wall, it was originally mounted into a bound album. |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label | The Italian-born Felice Beato had taken photographs during the 1850s of conflicts in the Crimea and India before arriving in China in 1860. The war in China originated in disputes over the illegal export of opium to the country. This tranquil view examines rooftops of Peking; there is no evidence to show that British and French troops had looted and sacked areas of the city in an attempt to force trade concessions. Other photographs in the series 'Views of the China War' show the debris; rubble and cannons lie scattered along the city wall, just a few metres behind where Beato set up his camera to take this photograph.(1987) |
Credit line | Purchased from Mrs. Doris Hansford, 1975 |
Object history | This was originally part of an album of photographs acquired in 1975 from Doris Hansford, the wife of Professor Professor S.(Sidney) Howard Hansford. He was a student in China during the 1930s when he recorded some ‘home movies’ in Beijing. He later became a Professor of Asian art at University of London. |
Subjects depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Summary | Having established his reputation as a professional photographer documenting military conflicts in the Crimea and India during the 1850s, Italian-born Felice Beato arrived in China in March 1860 during the final months of the Second Opium War. Accompanying the Anglo-French expeditionary force, which went on to seize Beijing and force the Chinese Empire to accede to sweeping political and economic demands, Beato’s views, combining topographical and military information, provided a visual record of the Imperial campaign. They were often included in ‘progress’ reports sent from Hong Kong to the commanding officer of the British army. Beato also sold his images of China to British officers as unmounted prints with his stock number, title, and date written in pencil on the verso of each print. By assembling a selection of images, the purchaser could construct a personal visual record. Albums, such as the one from which this view was taken, have differing numbers of prints, and are a reflection of the owner's personal military career. But even before the ‘narrative’ was constructed by the purchaser, Beato himself controlled the story, determining what was considered worthy of recording and eliminating any conflicting viewpoints. These views were absorbed by the public as part of a larger visual memory documenting England’s rise as an Imperial power. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 146-1975 |
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Record created | April 1, 2009 |
Record URL |
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