[Studio Portrait: Two Women Standing Beside a Table, Hong Kong] 1860s - 1870s

This studio portrait of two women, taken in Hong Kong by photographer Pun-Lun in the 1860s-1870s, offers a glimpse into the lives of women in 19th-century China. The women are dressed in traditional Chinese clothing, standing beside a small table draped with a patterned cloth. Their poses are formal, reflecting the conventions of portraiture at the time, and their expressions are reserved, hinting at the social constraints placed upon women. The photograph is an example of the early development of photography in China and provides a valuable record of social customs and dress of the period.