Camel sculptures on the road to the Ming tombs outside Peking. Photograph, 1981, from a negative by John Thomson, 1871.

  • Thomson, J. (John), 1837-1921.
Date:
1981
Reference:
19259i
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Description

Open air sculptures representing reclining camels in the foreground and, in the distance, elephants. A man leaning against the foremost camel sculpture, holding a pipe; probably one of Thomson's two Chinese assistants, Akum or Ahong. The road is called the Spirit Road (Shendao), and leads to the tombs of thirteen Ming emperors (Shisanling), starting with Yongle (1403-1425) (Pearce, loc. cit.)

Publication/Creation

1981

Physical description

1 photograph : photoprint

Contributors

Lettering

Road to Ming tombs, N China Bears Thomson's negative number: "501"

Notes

This is one of a collection of same-size contact prints made, in 1981, from John Thomson's original negatives. The glass negatives, made between 1868 and 1872, were purchased from Thomson by Sir Henry Wellcome in 1921 and are now in the Wellcome Institute Library

References note

John Thomson, Illustrations of China and its people, London, 1873-4, vol. 4, pl. XX
John Thomson, Through China with a camera, London, 1898, f.p. 272, "Avenue leading to the Ming tombs, north of Peking"
Stephen White, John Thomson life and photographs, London, 1985, plate 115
Nick Pearce, Photographs of Peking, China 1861-1908: an inventory and description of the Yetts collection at the University of Durham: through Peking with a camera, Lewiston, N.Y.: Edwin Mellen Press, 2005, no. 53, pp. 135-136

Reference

Wellcome Collection 19259i

Type/Technique

Subjects

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