Fille de Sootchow (Suzhou Girl) 1870s

"Fille de Sootchow" (Suzhou Girl) is a hand-tinted albumen print from the 1870s by Austrian photographer Raimund von Stillfried. The photograph, now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, captures a young woman from Suzhou, China, dressed in traditional attire. The subject is shown against a simple background, her gaze directed toward the viewer, highlighting the intricate details of her embroidered clothing and ornate headdress. This evocative portrait exemplifies Stillfried's work documenting the people and culture of the Far East during his travels in the late 19th century.