[Chinese Man Wearing Hat]

Art Historical Context

In the vibrant world of 19th-century photography,und von Stillfried'sChinese Man Wearing Hat*1870s) stands out as a captivating portrait. This albumen silver print, made from a glass negative and enhanced with applied color, measures 23.7 x 19.2 cm and captures the gaze of its subject, adorned in a traditional hat. Housed in The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Gilman Collection, it exemplifies early photographic portraiture from Asia. Albumen prints, the dominant photographic process of the era, produced rich tonal range and fine detail from glass negatives, while the hand-applied color—likely watercolor or gouache—brought a painterly warmth and exotic allure. This technique transformed stark black-and-white images into vivid scenes, appealing to Western audiences fascinated by distant cultures during an age of imperial exploration and trade. Von Stillfried, an Austrian photographer active in East Asia, contributed to a growing visual record of local peoples amid globalization. This intimate portrait highlights cultural encounters, blending European technical innovation with Eastern subject matter, and invites us to ponder the man's story behind the lens. A testament to photography's power to preserve fleeting moments, it bridges worlds in the Met's esteemed Photographs department.

About the Artist

Raimund von Stillfried · 1839–1911

Raimund von Stillfried (1839–1911) was an Austrian photographer who became one of the foremost Western practitioners of photography in Japan during the Meiji era. Born Baron Raimund von Stillfried-Ratenicz in Bohemia into an aristocratic family, he pursued a military career before discovering photography and making his way to East Asia in the early 1870s. He settled in Yokohama — then the principa...