Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class c. 1868

"Four Heads, Types of the Labouring Class" is a photographic album page by John Thomson, a renowned photographer of the Victorian era. Created around 1868, the piece showcases four individual portraits of working-class Chinese citizens, providing a glimpse into the lives of a diverse community. The album page, containing four individual images, each measuring 11.3 × 8.8 cm, serves as a valuable anthropological documentation of the time, offering insight into both social class and cultural identity within Victorian society. The work, currently housed at the Art Institute of Chicago, exemplifies Thomson's commitment to capturing the realities of life in 19th-century China through the lens of his camera.