Joseph John Thomson was a key figure in the early days of photography, known for his remarkable travels and innovative photographic techniques. His work offers valuable insights into cultures and places that were distant and unknown to most people at the time. Born in Edinburgh, the son of a tobacco worker, Thomson learned the basics of photography during his optician apprenticeship and expanded his knowledge by attending evening classes at the Watt Institution and School of Arts. After moving to Singapore in 1862, he opened a studio and began his career as a professional photographer.
Thomson's first major photography trip took him to Bangkok and Cambodia in 1865, where he captured remarkable images of King Mongkut and the ruins of Angkor. These photographs, which he published upon his return to England, earned him recognition and led to his membership in the Royal Geographical Society. Thomson moved his studio to Hong Kong in 1867 and began a five-year tour of China. He photographed everything from landscapes and interiors to working people and mandarins, providing a unique view of life and culture in late 19th century China. His other notable works include his photographs of the Duke of Edinburgh's royal visit to Hong Kong in 1869, his social documentary series of images of London street life in 1877, and his photographs of the newly acquired colony of Cyprus in 1878.
After returning to England, Thomson published several illustrated books documenting his travels and discoveries. He was especially known for his work with collodion wet plates, a common technique for creating photographs at the time. Joseph John Thomson died in London in 1921, but his influence on photography and his contribution to documenting cultures and places around the world live on. A peak of Kilimanjaro, Point Thomson, was named after him in his honor. His work remains an important resource for historians and cultural scholars and is a testament to the spirit of adventure and discovery that characterized the age of early photography.
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.jpg "Chinese archer, c.1870 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Opium Smoker, c.1867-72 by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-197304).jpg "The Dramatic Shoe Black, 1876-77 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "A Canton Junk, c.1867-72 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Dramatic Shoe-Black, from")
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.jpg "The Independent Shoe Black, from")
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.jpg "Caney The Clown, from")
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.jpg "Lumqua, a Hong Kong artist, c.1870 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Water Cart, from")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-208580).jpg "Italian Street Musicians, from")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-192750).jpg "A Convict")
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.jpg "View of the Port, Hong Kong, from")
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.jpg "London Nomades (from")
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.jpg "Street Advertising, from")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-50657).jpg "Half Penny Ices, from")
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.jpg "London Cabmen, from")
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.jpg "Abbotsford, the Home of Sir Walter Scott by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-100326).jpg "The Old Clothes Shop, Seven Dials, from")
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.jpg "Chinese Ministers of State, c.1872 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Dealer in Fancy-Ware, 1877 by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-40422).jpg "The Crawlers, from")
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.jpg "Recruiting Sergeants by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Baoyun Bronze Pavilion in the Summer Palace, Beijing by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Chinese Actors from Behind, c.1870 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Physic Street, Canton by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Flying Dustmen, from")
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.jpg "The Street Locksmith, from")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-166778).jpg "Sufferers from the Flood, from")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-159742).jpg "Street Doctor, 1876-77 by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-41606).jpg "Cheap Fish of St. Giles, from")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1100446).jpg "China, the Peep-Show, around 1870 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Manchu Ladies, c.1867-72 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Water-Cart, from")
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.jpg "A Canton Lady, The Lady")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-231370).jpg "Overgrown Pagoda, c.1855-65 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Woman and Child with Spinning Wheel, c.1870s by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The")
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.jpg "The Harbour, Hong Kong, c. 1868 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "An Old Clothes Shop, Seven Dials, from")
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.jpg "The Sellers of Shell-fish, from")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1312765).jpg "Study of a Tulip (Gemarmerde van Jasper) by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Nanjing Arsenal, 1872 by John Thomson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1101765).jpg "China, merchant")
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.jpg "An Old Clothes Shop, Seven Dials, from")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-200906).jpg "Public Disinfectors, from")
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.jpg "The Sedan, A Military Officer, The Plough, A North China Pony by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The British Consular Yamun, Canton by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Water-Cart by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-638278).jpg "Street Doctor by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Pepohoan Women, Mode of Carrying Child, Costume of Baksa Women, Lakoli, c. 1868 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "View of the Central Street in the Chinese Quarter of Peking, c.1870 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Peking Observatory, c. 1867-72 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Public Disinfectors, from")
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.jpg "The Abbot and monks of Kushan Monastery, c.1867-72 by John Thomson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1101089).jpg "China, the rickshaw c.1870 (photo) by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Halfpenny Ices by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Street Advertising by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Street Life in London by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Clapham Common Industries: Photography on the Common by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Manchu Ladies by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Strawberries. All Ripe! All Ripe! by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-207289).jpg "Black Jack, from")
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.jpg "A Mountain Pass in the Island of Formosa by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Prince Kung, Pekin, c. 1872 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "A Canton Pawn Shop, Honam Temple, Canton, Temple of Five Hundred Gods, Canton, c. 1868 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Chinese Rickshaw by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Jui-lin, Governor-General of the Two Kwang Provinces by John Thomson")
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_dance_c1870_(photo)_-_(MeisterDrucke-1100448).jpg "China, 2 Actors (Men) Dance, c.1870 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Sufferers from the Flood, from")
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.jpg "The Street Locksmith by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Temperance Sweep, 1877 by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-114307).jpg "The Independent Shoe Black, from")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1553809).jpg "Austrian Dominions (Thomson, 1816) by John Thomson")
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.jpg "City Victoria, Hong Kong by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-201792).jpg "Old Furniture, from")
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.jpg "Waiting for Hire, from")
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.jpg "Workers on the")
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.jpg "The Seller of Shell-Fish by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Old Factory Site, Canton by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Sufferers from the Floods by John Thomson")
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.jpg "A Cyprian Maid by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Bronze Temple, Wan-Show-Shan by John Thomson")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-174606).jpg "Photography on the Common and Waiting for Hire by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The")
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.jpg "Khon Performers by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Rolling Scented Caper and Gunpowder Teas, Weighing Tea for Exportation, A Tea House by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Chao-Chow-Fu Bridge by John Thomson")
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 - (MeisterDrucke-89233).jpg "Covent Garden Flower Women, from")
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.jpg "The craftsmen of a cloisonne workshop in Pekin (engraving after a photograph of M. Thomson to illustrate the journey to Pekin and northern China by T. Choutze, 1873, published in")
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.jpg "The Bayon Temple, Angkor Thom by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Chinese Actors by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Workers on the")
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_-_(MeisterDrucke-1101764).jpg "China, soldier, c.1870 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "The Street Locksmith by John Thomson")
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.jpg "Bannermen at a Manchu Funeral, Peking, c.1872 by John Thomson")
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.jpg "One of the Principal Rooms of Seamore Place, illustration from")
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.jpg "The Independent Shoe-Black, 1877 by John Thomson")
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