Photographic Collections
The Royal Asiatic Society has almost 100 different collections of photographs, containing several thousand images, dating back to the middle of the nineteenth century. The Society’s photographic collections are a valuable source of information about the cultural and physical heritage of many different parts of Asia. But they’re also useful for understanding the history of photography itself. These pages contain a small selection of the Society’s photographic holdings.
[Glass Slide.01/(100)] Henan Road, Shanghai
Black and white view of Honan Road or what is now known as Henan Road, Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Honan Road’.
[Glass slide.01/(101)] Temple, Shanghai
Black and white view of front of a temple in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘TeeFee Koong, Shanghai’.
[Glass Slide.01/(102)] Village Houses, Suzhou
Black and white view of village houses across water in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(103)] Beihai Park, Beijing
Black and white view of Beihai Park in Beijing. Labelled as ‘Peking, Imperial Garden’.
[Glass Slide.01/(104)] White Pagoda, Beihai Park, Beijing
Black and white view of the white pagoda in Beihai Park, Beijing. Labelled as ‘Yuen Ming Yuen’.
[Glass Slide.01/(105] Houses, Nanjing
Black and white view of houses along waterway in Nanjing. Labelled as ‘Nanking’.
[Glass Slide.01/(106)] Rice Fields, China
Black and white view of rice fields in China. Labelled as ‘Foong Wang Say, Rice Fields’.
[Glass Slide.01/(107)] Street Sellers, China
Black and white view of street sellers in China. At the very bottom in small writing, photographer’s studio name (?):…
[Glass Slide.01/(108)] Street View, China
Black and white view of colonial style street, China. Labelled as ‘Garden Bridge’.
[Glass Slide.01/(109)] Golden Island, Jiangsu
Black and white view of Golden Island pagoda in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu. Corresponding image on University…
[Glass Slide.01/(110)] Golden Island, Jiangsu
Black and white view of Golden Island in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu. Labelled as ‘Chinkiang’.
[Glass Slide.01/(111)] Golden Island, Jiangsu
Black and white view of Golden Island pagoda in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu. Labelled as ‘Chinkiang’.
[Glass Slide.01/(112)] Golden Island, Jiangsu
Black and white view of Golden Island in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu. Rooftops in the foreground, pagoda…
[Glass Slide.01/(113)] Golden Island, Jiangsu
Black and white view of outside of temple in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu. Labelled as ‘Chinkiang’.
[Glass Slide.01/(114)] Golden Island, Jiangsu
Black and white view of Golden Island pagoda in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu with sampans in the…
[Glass Slide.01/(115)] Temple, Jiangsu
Black and white view of temple grounds in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu. Labelled as ‘Temple, Chinkiang’.
[Glass Slide.01/(116)] Temple, Jiangsu
Black and white view of the front gate of a temple in Zhenjiang (formerly known as Chinkiang) in Jiangsu. Labelled…
[Glass Slide.01/(117)] Ming Tombs, Nanjing
Black and white view of stone soldiers at the Ming Tombs in Nanjing. Corresponding image on University of Bristol ‘Historical…
[Glass Slide.01/(118)] Confucian Temple, Nanjing
Black and white view of a Confucian Temple across a lake in Nanjing. Labelled as ‘Nanking, Confucian Temple’.
[Glass Slide.01/(119)] Confucian Temple, Nanjing
Black and white view of a Confucian Temple across a lake in Nanjing. Labelled as ‘Nanking, Confucian Temple’.
[Glass Slide.01/(120)] Temple, Wuhu
Black and white view of gates leading into a temple in Wuhu. Labelled as ‘Tee Fee Koong, Wuhu’.
[Glass Slide.01/(121)] Soldiers, Nanjing
Black and white view of the back of Chinese soldiers. Labelled as ‘Soldiers, Nanking’.
[Glass Slide.01/(122)] Yellow Crane Tower, Wuhan
Black and white view of the Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan. Labelled as ‘Wuchang’.
[Glass Slide.01/(123)] Wuhu, China
Black and white landscape view with Wuhu County in the background. Labelled as ‘Wuhu’.
[Glass Slide.01/(124)] Little Orphan Island, Anqing
Black and white view of Little Orphan Island on the Yangtze river, Anqing, Anhui province. Corresponding image on University of…
[Glass Slide.01/(125)] Beijing, China
Black and white bird’s eye view of Bejing. Labelled as ‘Peking’.
[Glass Slide.01/(126)] Seated Official, China
Black and white studio portrait of a seated official. Possibly Li Hongzhang (?) Labelled as ‘Ching Ki Cha, Minister 4…
[Glass Slide.01/(127)] Prince Chun & Henry Pu-Yi
Black and white studio portrait of Prince Chun, the Regent, with baby Pu-Yi (the last Emperor of China) on his…
[Glass Slide.01/(128)] Foreign Minister Tseng, Prince Chun, Li Hongzhang
Black and white studio portrait of Foreign Minister Tseng, Prince Chun, and Li Hongzhang. Labelled as ‘Cho Chung Tong, P….
[Glass Slide.01/(129)] Seated Official, China
Black and white studio portrait of seated official, China. Labelled as ‘Hu Lo, Foochow Manchu Cenera (?)’.
[Glass Slide.01/(130)] Li Hongzhang
Black and white studio portrait of Li Hongzhang. Labelled as ‘Li Hong Chang’.
[Glass Slide.01/(131)] Ancient Observatory, Beijing
Black and white view of the Ancient Observatory in Beijing. Labelled as ‘Pekin’.
[Glass Slide.01/(132)] Gathered Crowd of People, China
Black and white view of a gathered crowd of Chinese people. Corresponding photograph can be found at Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam; labelled…
[Glass Slide.01/(133)] Cobblers, China
Black and white view of Chinese cobblers at work. Labelled as ‘Cobblers’.
[Glass Slide.01/(134)] Fortune Tellers, China
Black and white view of three Chinese men described as ‘fortune tellers’. Labelled as ‘Fortune Tellers’.
[Glass Slide.01/(135)] Street Seller, China
Black and white studio portrait of a street seller. Some sources have labelled this photograph as ‘fruit seller’. Labelled as…
[Glass Slide.01/(136)] Irrigation, China
Black and white image of two Chinese men irrigating the land. Labelled as ‘Irrigation’.
[Glass Slide.01/(137)] Irrigation, China
Black and white image of two Chinese workers and a water buffalo. Labelled as ‘Irrigation’.
[Glass Slide.01/(138)] Foot Binding, China
Black and white studio portrait of a young girl with bound feet. Corresponding image on University of Bristol ‘Historical Photographs…
[Glass Slide.01/(139)] Wheelbarrow as Transport, China
Black and white image of a man with two ladies as passengers on a wheelbarrow. Corresponding image on ‘Picture This’…
[Glass Slide.01/(140)] Chinese Women, Suzhou
Black and white studio portrait of six Chinese women. Corresponding photograph at Rijksmuseum; labelled as ‘Group portrait with Courtesans, Anonymous,…
[Glass Slide.01/(141)] Landscape, Suzhou
Black and white landscape image of Suzhou with pagoda in the background. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(142)] Pagoda, Suzhou
Black and white image of pagoda in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(143)] Dockside, Suzhou
Black and white image of dockside with sampans in the water, Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(144)] View of Buildings, Suzhou
Black and white image of unidentified buildings across water in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(145)] Water Gate, Suzhou
Black and white image of water gate in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(146)] Landscape, Suzhou
Black and white image of landscape in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(147)] City Wall, Suzhou
Black and white image of city wall in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(148)] Landscape, Suzhou
Black and white image of building and landscape taken from across the water, Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(149)] Fishing Nets, Suzhou
Black and white image of fishing nets with wooden bridge and buildings in the background, Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(150)] Suzhou, China
Black and white image of Suzhou taken from across the water. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(151)] Bridge, Suzhou
Black and white image of stone bridge in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(152)] Architecture, Suzhou
Black and white image of stone bridge leading to a house with sampan in the water. Labelled as ‘Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(153)] Bridges, Suzhou
Black and white image of two stone bridges in Suzhou. Labelled as ‘N. Soochow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(154)] River with Sampans, Hangzhou
Black and white image of river with sampans and scattered houses in Hangzhou. Labelled as ‘Hangchow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(155)] Pagodas, Hangzhou
Black and white image of three pagodas in Hangzhou. Labelled as ‘SE HWO, Pagodas Hangchow’.
[Glass Slide.01/(156)] Garden, Jiading
Black and white image of a pavilion in a garden in Jiading. Labelled as ’20 Miles from Shanghai, Kading’.
[Glass Slide.01/(157)] River Scene, Ningbo
Black and white image of river with sampans, bridges, and houses in Ningbo. Labelled as ‘Ningpo’.
[Glass Slide.01/(158)] Sampan, China
Black and white image of sampan with two passengers. Labelled as ‘Sampan (?)’.
[Glass Slide.01/(159)] Foot Boat, China
Black and white image of foot boat with one passenger. Labelled as ‘Foot Boat’.
[Glass Slide.01/(160)] Cantonese Woman, China
Black and white studio portrait of a seated woman. Labelled as ‘Cantonese’.
[Glass Slide.01/(161)] Cathedral, China
Black and white image of cathedral in China. Labelled as ‘Cathedral’.
[Glass Slide.01/(162] Longhua Pagoda, Shanghai
Black and white image of the Longhua Pagoda in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Loonghwo Pagoda’.
[Glass Slide.01/(163)] Opium Smokers, China
Black and white studio portrait of two male and two female opium smokers. Labelled as ‘Opium Smokers’.
[Glass Slide.01/(164)] Opium Smokers, China
Black and white studio portrait of two opium smokers. Labelled as ‘Opium’.
[Glass Slide.01/(165)] Canton Road, China
Black and white image of a busy shopping street. Labelled as ‘Canton Road’.
[Glass Slide.01/(166)] Henan Road, Shanghai
Black and white view of Honan Road or what is now known as Henan Road, Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Honan Road’.
[Glass Slide.01/(167)] Mandarin & Wife, China
Black and white studio portrait of a seated Mandarin and his wife. Labelled as ‘Mandarin & Wife’.
[Glass Slide.01/(168)] Front Building, China
Black and white view of a front of a building with benches on the grass outside. Labelled as ‘YangtszePoo Road’.
[Glass Slide.01/(169)] Creek, Suzhou
Black and white view of creek in Suzhou with houses and sampans. Labelled as ‘Way Wong Doo, Soochow Creek’.
[Glass Slide.01/(170)] Arsenal, Shanghai
Black and white view of the arsenal in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Arsenal, Shanghai’.
[Glass Slide.01/(171)] Cotton Spinning, Shanghai
Black and white view of cotton spinners in the Shanghai district of Xujiahui, or Ziccawei (Zikawei) in Shanghainese. Labelled as…
[Glass Slide.01/(172)] Silk Filature, China
Black and white view of silk filature operations in China. Labelled as ‘Silk Filature’.
[Glass Slide.01/(173)] Execution, China
Black and white view of crowd gathered to watch an execution. Corresponding image on University of Bristol ‘Historical Photographs of…
[Glass Slide.01/(174)] Cangue, China
Black and white image of two men in a cangue, China. Corresponding image on University of Bristol ‘Historical Photographs of…
[Glass Slide.01/(175)] Cangue, China
Black and white image of three women in a cangue, China. Corresponding image on University of Bristol ‘Historical Photographs of…
[Glass Slide.01/(176)] Chinese Court, Shanghai
Black and white image of court proceedings, Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Shanghai City Yamen’.
[Glass Slide.01/(177)] Chinese Court, China
Black and white image of Chinese court proceedings. Labelled as ‘Chinese Court’.
[Glass Slide.01/(178)] Pavilions, Shanghai
Black and white image of tea house garden in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Shanghai’.
[Glass Slide.01/(179)] Street Scene, Shanghai
Black and white image of building and people walking around. Labelled as ‘Shanghai City’.
[Glass Slide.01/(180)] Old Northern Gate, China
Black and white image of the Old Northern Gate. Labelled as ‘Old North Gate’.
[Glass Slide.01/(181)] The Bund, Shanghai
Black and white aerial view of the Bund in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Bund’.
[Glass Slide.01/(182)] The Bund, Shanghai
Black and white aerial view of the Bund in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Bund’.
[Glass Slide.01/(183)] The Bund, Shanghai
Black and white image of the Bund in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Bund’.
[Glass Slide.01/(184)] Silk Filature, Shanghai
Black and white image of silk filature operation in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Filature, Shanghai’.
[Glass Slide.01/(185)] West Gate, China
Black and white image of an old walled gateway in China. Labelled as ‘West Gate’.
[Glass Slide.01/(186)] Mixed Court, China
Black and white image of the inside of a courtroom with both Chinese and Western men. Labelled as ‘Mixed Court’.
[Glass slide.01/(187)] Nanjing Road, Shanghai
Black and white close-up image of shops on Nanjing Road, Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Nanking Road’.
[Glass Slide.01/(188)] Yang Jin Bang Creek, Shanghai
Black and white view of street scene next to Yang Jin Bang creek in Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Yang King Pang’.
[Glass Slide.01/(189)] Fuzhou Road, Shanghai
Black and white view of Fuzhou Road, Shanghai. Labelled as ‘Foochow Rd., Shanghai’.
[Glass Slide.01/(190)] Wheelbarrow as Transport, China
Black and white image of a man pushing a wheelbarrow with a man as a passenger and a pig strapped…
[Glass Slide.01/(191)] Promenade, China
Black and white image of a promenade with benches and a bridge in the background. Labelled as ‘Garden Bridge’.
[Glass Slide.01/(192)] Sampans, China
Black and white image of sampans in water with buildings in the background. Labelled as ‘Sampans’.
[Glass Slide.01/(193)] Carpenters, China
Black and white image of carpenters at work. Labelled as ‘Carpenter’.
[Glass Slide.01/(194)] Gamblers, China
Black and white studio portrait of male gamblers. Labelled as ‘Gamblers’.
[Glass Slide.01/(195)] Barbers, China
Black and white image of two barbers and their clients. Corresponding image on University of Bristol ‘Historical Photographs of China’…
[Glass Slide.01/(196)] Straw Raincoats, China
Black and white studio portrait of three men; two are wearing straw raincoats, China. Some sources have 1870 as the…
[Glass Slide.01/(197)] Packing Tea, China
Black and white image of men packing tea. Labelled as ‘Packing Tea’.
[Glass Slide.01/(198)] Rattan Shields, China
Black and white image of men and their rattan shields. Labelled as ‘Rattan Shields’.
[Glass Slide.01/(199)] Promenade, China
Black and white aerial view of a promenade with a bridge to the side of the image and buildings in…