30/5-31/8｜10am to 6pm (closed on Mondays)｜Macao Museum
Macao Museum
MOP 15 (for information on discounts, please visit the Macao Museum website)
This exhibition contains two sections. The first showcases Illustrations of China and Its People published in London in 1873-1874 by U.K. photographer John Thomson (1837-1921). These wet plate photographs were taken between 1868 and 1872 in China. Since traditional printing technique failed to render optimum quality of the original photographs, Thomson decided to employ collotype, the most advanced and innovative printing process at the time, producing images of very high resolution. To ensure the best printing result, John Thomson personally supervised the manufacturing process. The collection comprises over 200 photos taken by Thomson in Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Macao, Shantou, Fuzhou, Xiamen, Shanghai, Ningbo, Nanjing, Sichuan, Tianjin, Beijing, and other places.
To enrich the audience’s understanding of the 19th Century photographic technique used by John Thomson, the second section of the exhibition presents wet plate photographic works by contemporary Macao photographer Wong Ho Sang. Macao is the theme of the project specifically developed and produced for the exhibition. Its content includes portraits, landscapes, architectures and still life. In addition to the wet plate photographs, three wooden large format wet plate cameras from the 1890s, 1960s and 2013 will also be on display.
