Through archival albumen prints and illustrations from magazines and books, this publication looks at nineteenth-century depictions of the life and customs of the people of China. The practice of photography, introduced by visiting foreigners, was quickly taken up by local photographers who established their own thriving studios.

Featured image, an albumen print by an unknown photographer, circa 1870, of a Chinese actress in a costume from the play Nushen, is reproduced from Perception and Image of China in Early Photographs.