Amoy (Xiamen), Fukien province, China: bound and unbound feet of two Amoy women. Photograph by John Thomson, 1869.

  • Thomson, J. (John), 1837-1921.
Date:
1869
Reference:
19746i
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About this work

Description

The bound foot of a Chinese woman, with its wrappings removed, compared with an undeformed foot. Time and again during his travels in China Thomson had tried to get a woman to let him photograph her bound feet, but he failed to do so until he reached Amoy. According to Thomson, he had to pay both women handsomely to get the photograph

Publication/Creation

1869

Physical description

1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion : stereograph ; glass approximately 10.5 x 21.5 cm (4 x 8 in.)

Lettering

Crushed foot and foot natural Amoy Bears Thomson's negative number: "744"

Notes

This is one of a collection of original glass negatives made by John Thomson. The negatives, made between 1868 and 1872, were purchased from Thomson by Sir Henry Wellcome in 1921

References note

China through the lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Beijing: Beijing World Art Museum, 2009, p. 114 (reproduced)

Reference

Wellcome Collection 19746i

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