Photos Reveal Black Chinese in 19th Century China
Pictures of 19th century China by pioneering Scottish photographer John Thomson who set off for Asia in 1862 and, over the next 10 years chronicled life – from royalty to street vendors – in several Asian countries, including Siam, Cambodia, and Vietnam. But it was his photographs from four years spent in China that form one of the most extensive records of the region taken in the 19th century. Thomson seems to make no distinction of the women dining together in a courtyard although one on the right is a smiling black woman and they simply seem to be sharing a meal.
— By Dannie Gore