Artwork Page for Portrait of a Man at Nanking Tombs/Stone Warriors

Details / Information for Portrait of a Man at Nanking Tombs/Stone Warriors

Portrait of a Man at Nanking Tombs/Stone Warriors

c. 1870
photographer

Lai Fong (Afong Studio)

(Chinese, c. 1839–1890)
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Culture
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Medium
Albumen print
Measurements
Image: 21.3 x 27.4 cm (8 3/8 x 10 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2026.69.a
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

Lai Fong was the preeminent Chinese photographer of the 19th century.

Description

Lai was a talented photographer and shrewd businessman who operated a studio in Hong Kong called Afong Studio. He competed successfully with British and European competitors, perhaps because, as he advertised, his catalogue of views of China were “larger, choicer, and more complete…than any other in the Empire.” He provided an insider’s look at the modernization and other changes brought to China by trade and war with Western nations.
A horizontally oriented sepia-toned albumen photograph depicts two colossal, weathered stone warriors facing one another across a winding dirt path. To our right, a man in dark robes leans against a statue. The path meanders through tall, spindly grass toward smaller, hazy figures in the middle distance. Jagged, hazy mountains rise under a pale sky. The composition emphasizes aged stone textures and soft light, capturing stillness in the open landscape.

Portrait of a Man at Nanking Tombs/Stone Warriors

c. 1870

Lai Fong (Afong Studio)

(Chinese, c. 1839–1890)
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

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