William Saunders
Portrait of a Woman from Guangzhou
c.1865
Hand-colored albumen print
29 cm x 22 cm
4 November 2016 – 12 November 2016 – China Exchange, London
Qing Dynasty Shanghai: The Photographs of William Saunders features a selection of 35 to 40 original 19th-century albumen silver prints, many hand-colored, by William Saunders from the Loewentheil China Photography Collection, the largest holding of late Qing dynasty photographs of China in private hands. This is the first public exhibition devoted to Saunder’s photography. Saunders occupies a distinguished place in the history of photography for the exceptional body of work he produced in Shanghai during the late Qing dynasty.
Qing Dynasty Shanghai: The Photographs of William Saunders features a selection of over 35 original 19th-century albumen silver prints, many hand-colored, by William Saunders from the Stephan Loewentheil Historical Photography of China Collection. This exhibition curated by Stacey Lambrow is the first public exhibition devoted to Saunders’s work. Saunders occupies a distinguished place in the history of photography for the exceptional body of work he produced in Shanghai during the late Qing dynasty. For over a quarter of a century, Saunders operated Shanghai’s leading photographic studio, adjacent to the Astor House Hotel, a center of social activity on the Bund in the 19th century. Saunders’s images are an unrivaled photographic resource for the study of life in late Qing dynasty Shanghai.