Sepia glass-plate photograph of a street with wooden buildings, where two people bend over a boxed lantern on a tripod as a man in a dark coat stands nearby.

Magic lantern show, Peking, China, 1869

A sepia glass-plate negative shows a street scene with low wooden buildings and lattice screens. Two figures in long robes and dark clothing bend over a large boxed lantern on a tripod, while a standing man in a dark coat and hat watches beside it.

Artist: John Thomson
Date: 1869
Medium: Genre photographs Wet collodion negatives Photographs
Source: Wellcome Collection
Size: 4000 × 3901 px

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Public domain · Wellcome Collection marks it Public Domain Mark; made by 1869.
Rights checked 2026-11-05 · tier A · as stated by the source: Public Domain Mark (Wellcome Collection)

Credit (appreciated, not required for public-domain works): Wellcome Collection

19th century 1860s 1869 china glass plate negative sepia photograph street scene magic lantern peking wet collodion genre photograph john thomson