The Great Imperial Porcelain Palace Yuen Min Yuen, Pekin, October 18, 1860 1860

Felice Beato captured this albumen print, titled "The Great Imperial Porcelain Palace Yuen Min Yuen, Pekin, October 18, 1860," using a process that was then at the forefront of photographic technology. Consider the material reality of this image. Albumen, derived from egg whites, coats the paper, creating a smooth surface for the silver-based emulsion. This process demanded meticulous preparation, highlighting the photographer's skill in the darkroom. Beato's choice of photography as a medium is significant. Unlike painting, photography was seen as an objective recording of reality. In this context, the photograph serves as a stark document of the destruction of the Yuan Ming Yuan during the Second Opium War. The palace, once a testament to imperial power and artistry, is reduced to a ruin, a poignant commentary on the clash between Western imperialism and Chinese culture. By focusing on the materiality and process of this photograph, we can appreciate its deeper layers of meaning, challenging the traditional separation between art and historical document.