2018年CRI China in 19th century: through the lens of a Scottish photographer

 

An exhibition displaying the work of Scottish photographer John Thomson has opened in London.

One of the first photographers to travel to the Far East in the 19th century, Thompson's photographs offer rare insight into life in China in the late Qing dynasty. 

Born just a few years after the invention of photography, John Thompson was one of the pioneers that introduced the art of photography to the east.

The exhibition, "China and Siam-Through the Lens of John Thompson," is taking place at the Brunei Gallery of SOAS at the University of London.

It is a collection of over 120 photos taken during his time in Asia, with many of them offering a glimpse of life in China in the 19th century.

Betty Yao is the co-curator of this exhibition.

"He was doing what we call today 'photo journalism,' although the concept was not yet born at that time. So unlike most western photographers in Asia during the 19th century, Thompson was recording¹ what the country and its people really looked like."

12 years ago, it was a chance meeting at London's Wellcome Library that led Yao to rediscover Thompson's photographs.

Since putting the exhibition together, the photos have toured in Asia, North America and Europe as part of 20 different exhibitions.

Thompson's photos cover a wide variety of subjects, including landscapes, people and architecture, as well as domestic and street scenes.

Betty Yao says that Thompson was able to truly sympathize with the subjects of his photography and reflected Chinese life toward the end of the Qing Dynasty without prejudice which was so often associated with western photographers at the time.

"For example, these two photos, one showing a teenage bride dressed in a gorgeous wedding outfit². She obviously lived an opulent life. But you can also see some sadness in her eyes as she contemplates³ a life confined in a household garden. The other picture shows a girl, simply dressed without any embellishment, working to make a life in fishing on the boat she calls home. You can see how content she is. You can almost feel her eyes beaming with happiness. As a foreign photographer 150 years ago, to be able to read into people's minds, is really something."

During his time in Asia, John Thompson was contracted to take high profile pictures of officials and imperial families, including the King of Siam, which is today's Thailand.

Betty Yao says it was Thompson's communication skills that allowed him rare access into the prestigious⁴ circles of 19th century Chinese society.

Despite this, Yao says Thompson's work also captured everyday life in China, with many of his photos focused on street vendors⁵ and common laborers⁶.

"He was an excellent negotiator. He didn't speak Mandarin⁷ but was able to make a vast range of local friends. He respected his Chinese contemporaries and this helped him in photographing some of the most intimate scenes of Qing dynasty life. You know it was a time when people actually believed cameras would snatch their souls away."

Thompson would also stay with Chinese families during his time in China, and was able to take photos of the women of the households during their leisure or doing daily chores.

Catherine Simcox, a Chinese textiles expert, says it's amazing to see photos of Chinese women in their traditional Qing dress and hair.

"It was 150 years, but it's a different world, totally different. And for westerners, you see when he came back to Britain and published these photographs. For people in this country, this is opening up a world that they are never going to visit, don't know much about, they may have read a little bit, but being able to see what China and Chinese people in those photographs, that must be fascinating."

Lord David Puttnam, film maker⁸ and educator, is a John Thompson enthusiast⁹.

He was the guest speaker at the exhibition's opening ceremony on Friday.

"What you are about to see in this exhibition, is a reflection of a moment in time, by an extraordinary man and photographer, who wanted to let one part of the world know what the other part of the world looked like."

The exhibition is free to the public at the University of London until June 23.

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

3 contemplates   

深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的第三人称单数 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想

参考例句：

• She contemplates leaving for the sake of the kids. 她考虑为了孩子而离开。
• Beauty in things exists in the mind which contemplates them. 事物的美存在于细心观察它的人的头脑中。

4 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

5 vendors   

n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方

参考例句：

• The vendors were gazundered at the last minute. 卖主在最后一刻被要求降低房价。
• At the same time, interface standards also benefIt'software vendors. 同时，界面标准也有利于软件开发商。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

6 laborers   

n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工

参考例句：

• Laborers were trained to handle 50-ton compactors and giant cranes. 工人们接受操作五十吨压土机和巨型起重机的训练。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Wage-labour rests exclusively on competition between the laborers. 雇佣劳动完全是建立在工人的自相竞争之上的。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言

7 Mandarin   

n.中国官话，国语，满清官吏；adj.华丽辞藻的

参考例句：

• Just over one billion people speak Mandarin as their native tongue.大约有十亿以上的人口以华语为母语。
• Mandarin will be the new official language of the European Union.普通话会变成欧盟新的官方语言。

8 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。

9 enthusiast   

n.热心人，热衷者

参考例句：

• He is an enthusiast about politics.他是个热衷于政治的人。
• He was an enthusiast and loved to evoke enthusiasm in others.他是一个激情昂扬的人，也热中于唤起他人心中的激情。