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Ingenious Device

c. 1860
photographer

William Thomas Saunders

(British, 1832–1892)
Culture
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Medium
Albumen print, hand-colored
Measurements
Image: 20.2 x 25.8 cm (7 15/16 x 10 3/16 in.); Mount: 29.6 x 41.7 cm (11 5/8 x 16 7/16 in.)
Credit Line
John L. Severance Fund 2026.71
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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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 hand-colored albumen print depicts a man with medium skin tone in profile facing right. He wears a blue tunic and dark trousers. Balancing a long, curved wooden pole across his shoulders, he carries a wooden chair frame on our left. On our right, he holds a large, spoked wooden wheel. He stands barefoot on ground covered in scattered dry straw against a dark, solid background.

Ingenious Device

c. 1860

William Thomas Saunders

(British, 1832–1892)
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)

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