Portrait of Empress Dowager Cixi with Mirror
c. 1903
Silver gelatin print
The Loewentheil Collection includes iconic photographs of Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) by her court photographer Yu Xunling. Few original photographs of Cixi survive. In addition to the Loewentheil Collection, photographs of Cixi are held by The National Palace Museum in Beijing, and the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives in Washington, D.C.
Xunling’s series of photographs of Cixi, commissioned in 1903 and 1904, are some of the only surviving photographs of the most important political figure of the late Qing Dynasty. Xunling was the son of the diplomat Yugeng, the former Chinese ambassador to Tokyo and Paris. He developed his passion for photography while overseas. Xunling’s sisters Der Ling and Roung Ling served as officers of the Qing Dynasty court. As close assistants to Cixi, the two sometimes appear in the portraits their brother made of the Empress Dowager.
Cixi was artistically engaged in the process of creating her image. She dictated the composition and content of the photographs to her court photographer. Xunling and Cixi had one of the first creative relationships of this kind in the history of Chinese photography. Xunling is regarded by many historians as one of China’s earliest art photographers.
Lover’s Leap from Foochow and the River Min
1873
London: Printed by the Autotype Fine Arts Company
Carbon print, mounted
9 3/8 x 12 in.
Marginal stain far from image
A brilliant print with deep contrast
This is a magnificent photograph from John Thomson’s legendary Foochow and the River Min. Thomson is the greatest single figure in nineteenth-century photography in China.
The Scottish photographer spent four years photographing the people and places of China beginning in 1868. “By the time his travels brought him to the thriving city of Fuzhou, a little way up the River Min from the south China coast, John Thomson had developed and tuned his photographic aesthetic to respond to the magnificence of the landscape more acutely. … The attitude of reverence and contemplation which man should properly direct towards the great waterways of nature, whilst forming a central part of the Chinese landscape aesthetic, seems to have interlocked with Thomson’s own response” (Ovenden, John Thomson Photographer).
On his return to England in 1872, Thomson produced the magnificent Foochow and the River Min. An artistic triumph, the work was extremely expensive to produce, and perhaps seven sets survive. Individual prints from the series are extremely rare.
Lover’s Leap is the third photograph in Foochow and the River Min. Thomson recalled, “The bold mountains known to the natives as the ‘Wu-hu’ or ‘five tiger’ range, were wrapped in a thin veil of mist; but it was nearly mid-day before the last shred of vapour had withdrawn from the rugged overhanging crag, which has been called the ‘Lover’s Leap.’ The mountains rise to a considerable altitude about this part of the river, and terminate in bold rocky cliffs” (Thomson, Through China with a Camera).
“Thomson’s photographs are equally valued for their intrinsic qualities—the beauty of their imagery, their vivid sense of immediacy and their unconventional approach to composition. … The scenes on the River Min … foreshadow many of the discoveries of twentieth century photography” (White).
“Thomson was an exceptionally gifted photographer—equally adept at portraiture and landscape. He was the first to introduce the beauty of China’s inland scenery to the West—a wonderful example being his work in and around Foochow” (Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography).
Two photographs: Kutub Minar & Great Arch. Delhi, c. 1866 [and] Great Arch and Iron Pillar Delhi, 1866
Two albumen prints (9 x 11 in.)
Minor wear
Signed, captioned, and numbered in the negatives
Good strong prints
Framed
This is a splendid pair of Samuel Bourne views of the Qutb complex in Delhi.
The first photograph shows the Delhi minaret and “victory tower” at the Qutb complex, the tallest minaret in the world built of bricks. “The Qutb Minar is one of the most famous monuments in India and one of the most significant examples of early Indo-Islamic architecture. It is a tower of victory which also served as a minaret for the adjacent Quwwat al-Islam (Might of Islam) mosque. It was begun by Qutb-ud-Din Aybak (ruled 1206-1210), the first Sultan of Delhi and founder of the Mamluk or Slave Dynasty, and continued by Shams-ud-Din Iltutmish (ruled 1211-1236). It is 72.5 m (238 ft) high, and rises in five tapering fluted” (British Library).
The second photograph shows the screen of the Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque. “The screen, which is often referred to as the ‘Great Arch’, is 6.7 metres wide and 16 metres high. An inscription on the central arch states that it was built in 1199 by Qutbuddin Aibak. It was one of the first Islamic monuments to be built by Hindu craftsmen in India. The craftsmen used the traditional method of laying blocks of stone horizontally and rounding the sides of individual stones to create the curve of the arch. The screen was ornately decorated with carved calligraphy and repeating scroll-like designs” (Victoria and Albert Museum). The iron pillar at the left is cropped as issued. The dark tones and strong contrast wonderfully highlight the intricate carvings.
British photographer Samuel Bourne traveled throughout India from 1863-1870, photographing monuments, people, and landscapes. “By the time Bourne left India in 1870 to return to England, he had produced over 2,500 views, mostly of architecture and landscapes, which, distributed by his partner Charles Shepherd, constitute the most exhaustive record made in India by a single photographer. Bourne’s carefully thought-out, meticulously crafted images were collected by tourists, archaeologists, and botanists alike” (Metropolitan Museum of Art).
Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan
1870s
Albumen silver print
21 x 29 cm
The Pow Kee photograph of Huanghe Lou Pagoda in the Loewentheil Collection is unique. An artist etched cranes into the sky of the early negative to reflect the legends surrounding the famous pagoda. This is the only known example of the photograph with cranes in flight.
Since the earliest days of photography, artists have used manual retouching in the negative, also known as “handwork,” to enhance the art of the photograph and add meaning. Today changes to a photograph are made on a computer, but in the nineteenth century alterations took place on the negative. In Pow Kee’s photograph the artists added small cranes to the sky working on the emulsion side of the negative. Detailed work in a negative, referred to as ‘etching,’ was a delicate practice only accomplished by experienced retouching artists who often worked on retouching desks. The intricate work might involve scraping glass plates or paper negatives with knife similar to surgeon’s scalpel, and painting or drawing on the negatives. Sometimes multiple negatives were combined to make composite negatives showing clouds to create atmosphere.
Seizing Shadows: Rare Photographs by Late Qing Dynasty Chinese Masters
The Loewentheil Collection’s first virtual exhibition presents a selection of the world’s finest nineteenth-century photographs of China by pioneering Chinese art photographers.
The exhibition draws from the Loewentheil Collection which was assembled over more than three decades of dedicated connoisseurship. The Loewentheil Collection comprises about 14,000 photographs spanning the earliest days of paper photography from the 1850s through the 1930s, the majority from before 1900. In addition, there are about 7000 photographs in the Loewentheil Collection from the Ernst Boerschmann Archive on the history of Chinese architecture.
The virtual exhibition presents photographs, many never before exhibited or digitized, by major early Chinese photographers and studios including Lai Fong, Liang Shitai, Pun Lun Studio, Tung Hing Studio, A Chan (Ya Zhen) Studio, Pow Kee Photographer Studio, Yu Xunling, and others.
This virtual exhibition offers the opportunity to view and explore rare early portraits including an iconic photograph of Empress Dowager Cixi by the Imperial photographer, Yu Xunling. Photography fascinated the Empress and she carefully orchestrated her portraits and tableaus. Another important portrait in the virtual exhibition is of the Marquis Li Hongzhang made by Liang Shitai, one the foremost nineteenth-century photographers. The compelling photograph conveys the Marquis’s power and inner character. The exhibition also presents some of the earliest photographic depictions of Chinese art and culture such as Lai Fong’s portrait of two Peking Opera performers.
Seizing Shadows: Rare Photographs by late Qing Dynasty Masters brings together selected works by the leading figures in nineteenth-century photography in China. Each is a pinnacle of photographic art worthy of study and exhibition.
To learn more and view the exhibition, click here.
UPCOMING ASIA WEEK NEW YORK EXHIBITION
Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Afong and John Thomson
March 13–15 & 18–21, 2025 Opening reception: Tuesday, March 16, 6-8pm
Exhibiting at: 10 West 18th Street, 7th Floor
Asia Week hours: 10am-5pm (by appointment only)
We are thrilled to present Sun and Silver: Early Photographs of China by Lai Afong and John Thomson, which brings together masterpieces by two giants of 19th-century photography of China—Lai Afong and John Thomson—who originated many significant developments in early Chinese photography. Among the photographs is Rapids at Nanping, River Min, which first captured the imagination of Lai Afong in 1869 and later by John Thomson in 1870.
We look forward to welcoming you soon!
About the Gallery
The Loewentheil Photography of China Collection is the world’s greatest collection of early photography of China. The collection, with its vast numbers, fine condition, and superior quality, could not be duplicated today, as the most important material is no longer available at any price.
The collection was formed over more than three decades of dedicated connoisseurship. It comprises about 14,000 photographs spanning the earliest days of paper photography from the 1850s through the 1930s, the majority from before the end of the Qing Dynasty. In addition, there are about 7,000 photographs from the Ernst Boerschmann Archive on the history of Chinese architecture.
The collection also includes the largest holding of Qing Dynasty photographs in the world. This is an unsurpassed Chinese artistic, historical and sociological treasure. No other existing resource of China can match its beauty and cultural significance while demonstrating the foundation which allowed for the building of modern China.
The finest masterpieces of Chinese photography created by virtually every artistic giant of early photography of China is also represented. This is the world’s foremost holding of early photographic works of China by both Chinese and international photographers. It was assembled with an emphasis on images of the highest artistic and historical quality in the best possible condition.
The Loewentheil Collection presents the historic architecture of China’s ancient cities and the monuments of its revered ancestors. The images portray the natural beauty of China from the rivers to the mountains and from the Great Wall to the Forbidden City. Every aspect of Chinese life and culture, from business to aesthetics, from dress to folkways, is captured here.
“With its large quantity and high quality of photographs, the Loewentheil Collection is a treasure that should be studied and explored systematically by the academic circle.” – Qi Xuemin, Professor of Humanities Tsinghua University
