The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 4, 2026

A vertically oriented carbon print in dark brown tones depicts a wooden building nestled inside a cavernous opening. The structure, with peaked roofs and a balcony on stilts, sits perched beside a craggy rock face. To the right, a steep stone staircase winds through dense foliage. Much of the scene is cast in deep shadow, except for the building, which is brightly lit against the dark cavern interior.

Yuen Fu Monastery

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: 29.9 x 24.4 cm (11 3/4 x 9 5/8 in.); Mount: 52.7 x 36.1 cm (20 3/4 x 14 3/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 2026.63
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 Monastery|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/2026.63