Barbarian lens : western photographers of the Qianlong emperor's European palaces / Régine Thiriez.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 173-183) and index.
Contents: Palaces in the photographers' time -- Early photography in Beijing, 1860-1873 --Foreigners in Beijing, 1860-1925 -- Practicing photography in China, 1860-1925 -- European Palaces in the photographers' time....in the eighteenth century--Rape of the Summer Palace and its aftermath--Maritime customs men in the 1870's--Imperial Chinese Maritime customs--Thomas Child: the photographer of Old Beijing--Ernst Ohlmer: sailor, photographer, customs officer and porcelain collector--Theophile Piry: forty-five years in China through a camera lens--From the Boxer Rebellion to the warlords--Alfons Freiherr Mumm von Schwarzenstein: a German envoy in 1901 China--From the 1911 Revolution to the warlords.

"The latest volume in the prestigious academic book series Documenting the Image, this is a fascinating survey illustrated by extremely rare photographs of the burned architectural and landscape complex known as the Rape of the Summer Palace.
In 1860, Western armies brought ruin to the treasured seat of the Qing emperors near Beijing. One hundred and fifty images have been collected to date as a support for an extensive study of the building of the palaces and their subsequent destruction.
This book is a rigourous analysis of the work and experiences of the European photographers, both amateur and professional, working in Beijing during this period, and, as such, becomes an account of the development of photography itself. Offering a fascinating glimpse into 19th-Century China, the book gives an historical overview of the political situation."--publisher description.