Prince Kung – Photo of the day « Espaces Arts & Objets

Prince Kung – Photo of the day

Published by Paula Bray on June 27, 2010 in Photo of the day.

Powerhouse Museum – Sydney

Prince Kung

This collotype print is of Prince Kung, uncle to Chinese Emperor Tung-che. It was taken by John Thomson in 1871 and is the first image to appear in his acclaimed book Illustrations of China and its People, published in 1874. Kung held several high military and civil appointments, including being a member of the Supreme Council of China.

Thomson was one of the first photographers to actively work in Asia. He had arrived in Penang in 1862 and in 1865 travelled through Thailand where he met and photographed the King of Siam, King Mongkut. This was the same King who engaged an Englishwoman Anna Leonowens, whose book about her experiences later formed the basis for the movie the King and I.

Photography by John Thomson
No known copyright restrictions
Post by Geoff Barker, Assistant Curator

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