The Bund in Shanghai
ca. 1869
Medium
Albumen silver print from glass negative
Dimensions
Image: 9 9/16 × 13 1/16 in. (24.3 × 33.2 cm)
Classification
Photographs
Department
Photographs
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gilman Collection, Purchase, Robert Rosenkranz Gift, 2005
Accession Number
2005.100.494.105
Tags
Art Historical Context
In the mid-19th century,'s Bund emerged as a vibrant symbol of the city's transformation into a bustling treaty port, blending Eastern and Western influences along the Huangpu River. John Thomson *The Bund in Shanghai* (ca. 1869) captures this dynamic scene through an albumen silver print a glass negative, showcasing a lively waterfront lined with grand buildings, boats dotting the river, and hum of international trade. The photograph's expansive composition—measuring 9 9/16 × 13 1/16 inches—invites viewers to immerse themselves in the era's energy, where junks and steamers coexisted amid colo...
About the Artist
John Thomson · 1837–1921
John Thomson (1837–1921), a pioneering Scottish photographer, was born on 14 June 1837 in Edinburgh as the eighth of nine children to William Thomson, a tobacco spinner and trader, and Isabella Newlands.) After schooling in the early 1850s, he apprenticed with a local optical and scientific instrument manufacturer, where he mastered the principles of photography, completing his training around 185...