The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 4, 2026

A horizontally oriented sepia carbon print depicts a mountainous river landscape. In the lower right foreground, a solitary figure in dark clothing stands atop jagged rocks, overlooking the water. Swirling patterns mark the pale river as it snakes between steep hills toward distant, craggy peaks. To the right, trees silhouette against a bank, all set beneath a vast, cloudy sky that casts a soft, muted light over the scene.

Yuen Fu Rapids

1873
photographer

John Thomson

(Scottish, 1837–1921)
printer and publisher

Autotype Fine Art Company

(British, est. 1868)
China, Qing dynasty (1644-1911)
Carbon print
Image: 20.6 x 29 cm (8 1/8 x 11 7/16 in.); Mount: 36.1 x 52.5 cm (14 3/16 x 20 11/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2026.62
Location: Not on view

Did You Know?

British and European photographers who first gained access to China starting in the 1850s and 1860s were only welcomed to the port cities where trading occurred.

Description

John Thomson established a photography studio in Hong Kong in 1868. Unlike most of his fellow European photographers, Thomson embarked on photographic excursions into inland China. He introduced its monuments and natural beauty to the world through prints and photographically illustrated books. These prints are from the book Foochow and the River Min, which was his aesthetic masterpiece.
  • -October 8, 2026
    Stephan Loewentheil, New York, NY, sold to The Cleveland Museum of Art
    October 8, 2026-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • {{cite web|title=Yuen Fu Rapids|url=false|author=John Thomson, Autotype Fine Art Company|year=1873|access-date=04 November 2026|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2026.62