Fille de Shanghai 1870s

Raimund von Stillfried, a Western photographer working in Asia, made this hand-colored albumen print of a young woman in Shanghai. The albumen process, where paper is coated with egg white and silver nitrate, gives the image its warm, sepia tone and smooth surface. What I find really interesting about this image is how the hand-coloring emphasizes details that speak to the sitter’s social status. Look at the subtle pink blush on her cheeks, or the vibrant colors of her silk clothing, with its delicate floral pattern. Notice her elongated fingernails, a sign of wealth because they indicated that she didn’t perform manual labor. These details weren’t inherent to the photographic process itself, but were carefully added by hand, transforming the photograph into something more akin to a painted portrait. Photographs like this were produced for Western consumption, reinforcing exoticized views of Asian cultures. Yet, they also provide valuable insights into the material culture and social hierarchies of the time. By recognizing the labor involved in creating this image, we can better understand its complex historical and cultural context.