Traditional Chinese Portraits

Historic photographs of Chinese cultural figures such as empresses and brides, capturing traditional attire and expressions of cultural identity.

Japan - Japanese tea ceremony Date: circa 1905

Empress Cixi, 1862-1908, seated on the imperial Chinese throne

This photograph shows a Chinese bride in Batavia (present-day Jakarta) in her wedding dress. The commercial development of Batavia under the Dutch created numerous opportunities for immigrants from China, who became a favored minority and helped to support Dutch colonial rule. While many Chinese immigrants and their descendants adopted Dutch lifestyles by the late 19th century, others continued to identify with China and maintained Chinese customs and traditional dress. The photograph was taken by the studio of Woodbury & Page, which was established in 1857 by the British photographers Walter Bentley Woodbury and James Page.

Between 1802 and 1945, Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty, a feudal kingdom which dominated much of southern Vietnam from the 17th to the 19th century. In 1775 when Trinh Sam captured it, it was known as Phu Xuan. In 1802, Nguyen Phuc Anh (later Emperor Gia Long) succeeded in establishing his control over the whole of Vietnam, thereby making Hue the national capital until 1945, when Emperor Bao Dai abdicated and a communist government was established in Hanoi.

Portrait of two Chinese Buddhist monks with rosary, bell and slit drum, Baron Raimund von Stillfried und Ratenitz attributed to.

Japan - Japanese tea ceremony Date: circa 1905

Portrait of two Chinese Buddhist monks, 1873, China, Historic, digitally restored reproduction from 19th century original.

Samurai is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class. The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushido. While they numbered less than ten percent of Japan's population, samurai teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendo, meaning the way of the sword.

Japan - Five Geisha Girls greet a new arrival Date: circa 1904

Korea: Two Koreans in mourning dress, 1904

Portrait of Two Chinese Buddhist Monks, 1873, China, Historical, digitally restored reproduction from a 19th century original, Asia

Geisha playing Samisen, Japan, circa 1890

It was a dance or a drama that was usually performed to the accompaniment of such an orchestra. From right to left: Janggu, Piri, also Piri, Daegeum and Haegum. The janggu or sometimes called seyogo is the most representative drum in traditional Korean music. The piri is a Korean double reed instrument in bamboo, used in both the folk and classical music of Korea. The piri was originally a musical instrument in the western part, and has already been used in Goguryeo and Baekje since the period of the Three States. The daegeum is a large bamboo flute, a transverse flute used in traditional Korean music. The haegeum is a traditional Korean string instrument, resembling a vertical fiddle with two strings; derived from the ancient Chinese xiqin.

Two Japanese instruments playing. .

Group of Buddhist Monks in Prayer, Sri Lanka

Buddha-Statue

Some of the Lamas in the Procession which is part of the ceremony. June 23, 1930. (Photo by Sport & General Press Agency, Limited).;Some of the Lamas in the Procession which is part of the ceremony.

Geishas. .

Geisha making music, Japan, Asia

Chinese officials for a home in Tibet, D.T. Dalton, 1903.

In the early 1900s, a Chinese Taoist named Wang Yuanlu appointed himself guardian of some of these temples. Wang discovered a walled up area behind one side of a corridor leading to a main cave. Behind the wall was a small cave stuffed with an enormous hoard of manuscripts dating from 406 to 1002 CE. These included old hemp paper scrolls in Chinese and many other languages, paintings on hemp, silk or paper, numerous damaged figurines of Buddhas, and other Buddhist paraphernalia. The subject matter in the scrolls covers diverse material. Along with the expected Buddhist canonical works are original commentaries, apocryphal works, workbooks, books of prayers, Confucian works, Taoist works, Nestorian Christian works, works from the Chinese government, administrative documents, anthologies, glossaries, dictionaries, and calligraphic exercises. Wang sold the majority of them to Aurel Stein in 1907.

Rules of Tibet -- The Panchen Lama, a boy of eleven, is the spiritual leader of the Tibetan hierarchy. Behind him stands the 73-year-old Regent while on either side are the spiritual instructors. The present Panchen Lama is the 10th reincarnation. He lives with the Regent, Lo-ch'ang-chan, at the lamasery of Kumbum. April 22, 1950. (Photo by Camera Press).

Mei was born in Taizhou, Jiangsu(1894), into a family of Beijing Opera and Kunqu performers. He made his stage debut at the Guanghe Theatre in 1904 when he was 10 years old. In his 50-year stage career, he maintained strong continuity while always working on new techniques. His most famous roles were those of female characters; skillful portrayal of women won him international acclaim. He also played an important part in continuing the performance tradition of Kunqu. In July 1937, the Marco Polo Bridge Incident occurred. The Imperial Japanese Army soon occupied Beijing. The commander of the Japanese Army ordered Mei to perform for them and appointed Mei to a high ranking official position. But Mei refused to sing throughout the duration of the war and endured an impoverished lifestyle until the war ended in 1945. Mei was the first artist to spread Beijing Opera to foreign countries, participating in cultural exchanges with Japan, the United States, and other regions. After 1949 he serv

Buddhist priests. .

Antique Japan, selling tea, refreshments and food along the way, circa 1880, Japan, Historical, digitally restored reproduction of an original from the period.

Emperor Khai Dinh (8 October 1885 6 November 1925) was the 12th Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam. His name at birth was Prince Nguyen Phuc Bun Dao. He was the son of Emperor Dong Khanh, but he did not succeed him immediately. He reigned only nine years: 1916 - 1925.

'An Avenue of Torii at Inari', 1910. Creator: Herbert Ponting.

Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of more than 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the developed world. The Seoul Capital Area, which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province, is the world's second largest metropolitan area with over 25.6 million people, home to over half of South Koreans along with 632,000 international residents. During the Korean War, Seoul changed hands between the Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the UN-backed South Korean forces several times, leaving the city heavily damaged after the war. One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war, at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, a flood of refugees had entered Seoul during the war, swelling the population of Seoul and its metropolitan area to an estimated 2.5 million, more than half of them homeless.

Emperor Duy Tan (Nguyen Phuc Vinh San, 14 August 1899 - 25 December 1945), was a child Emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty and reigned for nine years between 1907 and 1916. His name was Prince Nguyen Phuc Vinh San and was son of the Thanh Thai Emperor. Because of his opposition to French rule and his erratic, depraved actions (which some speculate were feigned to shield his opposition from the French) Thanh Thai was declared insane and exiled to Vung Tau in 1907. The French decided to pass the throne to his son Nguyen Phuc Vinh San, who was only seven years old, because they thought someone so young would be easily influenced and controlled, and could be raised to be pro-French. This proved to be a big mistake on the part of the French. Nguyen Phuc Vinh San was enthroned with the reign name of Duy Tan, meaning 'friend of reform' and in time would prove unwilling to live up to this name. As he became older he noticed that, even though he was treated as the Emperor, it was the colonial authori

The War Drums of the Ashanti tribesmen - Gold Coast, West Africa - Ghana Date: 1910s

Beijing, China at the entrance to a pavilion , 1913 - China - Stéphane Paset, 1912 - China - Stéphane Passet (French - Pékin , Chine Àl' entrée d' un pavillon). Costume, foreign presence, ethnic minority, Eventail, Manchu ethnicity, accessory, Clothing, international relations, society

Japanese geisha circa 1900.

Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Malay-Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era. Members of this community in Malaysia identify themselves as 'Nyonya-Baba' or 'Baba-Nyonya'. Nyonya is the term for the females and Baba for males. It applies especially to the ethnic Chinese populations of the British Straits Settlements of Malaya and the Dutch-controlled island of Java and other locations, who adopted partially or in full Malay-Indonesian customs to become partially assimilated into the local communities. While the term Peranakan is most commonly used among the ethnic Chinese for those of Chinese descent also known as Straits Chinese (; named after the Straits Settlements), it may also be applied to the Baba-Yaya community in Phuket and other provinces of southern Thailand.

Ancient Japan, Selling tea, refreshments and food by the wayside, c. 1880, Japan, Historic, digitally restored reproduction from an original of the period, Asia

Tibet, Hermit Kingdom -- George Tsarong, who was appointed to be official guide and interpreter to Count Amaury de Riencourt, is photographed on the roof of the Great Temple in Chasa. May 05, 1948. (Photo by Pictorial Press).

A man blowing the trumpet on Hemis festival at Hemis Gompa Ladakh Jammu and Kashmir India Copyright: xAnilxDave/DinodiaxPhotox

Japanese girl practising calligraphy Date: 1909

The celebration of the Buddhist lent by the ex living Buddha of inner Mongolia; The "Hut" Ukt'U, or, as the local gentry team him. The "Kanchurwa" Melken hut'u Kuan, Akowan Yenlininpelia at Delo N'Or, Mongolia. The celebration of the festival is mostly devoted to the dance of the gods, which takes place in front of the temple and ends with the famous Tibetan Devil god dance. The Lama dancers appear in the most grotesque of headgear and masks. April 09, 1923. (Photo by International Newsreel Phot

Priests or Zen Shu; Felice Beato (English, born Italy, 1832 - 1909); Japan; 1866 - 1867; Hand-colored Albumen silver print

Samurai is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. By the end of the 12th century, samurai became almost entirely synonymous with bushi, and the word was closely associated with the middle and upper echelons of the warrior class. The samurai followed a set of rules that came to be known as Bushidō. While they numbered less than ten percent of Japan's population, samurai teachings can still be found today in both everyday life and in martial arts such as Kendō, meaning the way of the sword.

Buddhist monks collect almsfood prepared by devotees and laypersons who make merit by donating itevery morning in Burma and most Theravada Buddhist countries. This is their only food for the day. Monks do not eat after 12 noon. Legend attributes the first Buddhist doctrine in Burma to 228 BC when Sohn Uttar Sthavira, one of the royal monks to Emperor Ashoka the Great of India, came to the country with other monks and sacred texts. However, the era of Buddhism truly began in the 11th century after King Anawrahta of Pagan (Bagan) was converted to Theravada Buddhism. Today, 89% of the population of Burma is Theravada Buddhist.

Miko, or Performing in A Temple Dancing at Nara. Attributed to Kusakabe Kimbei (Japanese, 1841 - 1934)

Exposition Universelle (World Fair) Paris, 1900; The Exposition Universelle of 1900, better known in English as the 1900 Paris Exposition, was a world's fair held in Paris, France, from 14 April to 12 November 1900, to celebrate the achievements of the past century and to accelerate development into the next. The style that was universally present in the Exposition was Art Nouveau. The fair, visited by nearly 50 million, displayed many technological innovations; black and white photograph of a Geisha girl called Sadayacco.

USA/China: Ko K'un-hua (1838 - 1882), the first Chinese instructor at Harvard University, 1879 - 1882

Japan people women two japanese women wearing kimono carrying child on back engraving circa 1900,

Chinese justice: Prisoner, kneeling on chains, ankles in a form of stocks, outstretched arms supported by thumbs tied by cord to a pole. One of a pair of images from a stereographic card c1906. Criminal

Tsurugaoka Hachiman-g

Soissons, Aisne, France Monsignor Landais, archpriest of the cathedral, before fragments of statues , 1917 - Aisne - Fernand Cuville (photographic section of the army) - (May -July) (French - Soissons , Aisne , France Monseigneur Landais , archiprêtre de la cathédrale , devant des fragments de statues). Religious habit, religious personality, patron , philanthropist, sculpture, portrait, park , garden, war effort , war work, vegetation , botany, religious architecture, man, Clothing, personality, art, human beings, Habitat , Architecture, First World War, Nature , Environment, France, Soissons, Monseigneur Landais, archpriest of the cathedral, in front of fragments of statues

The Forty-nine Gautamas in the Sagaing Temple; Felice Beato (English, born Italy, 1832 - 1909); Burma; 1887 - 1895; Albumen silver print

The Forty-nine Gautamas in the Sagaing Temple. Felice Beato (English, born Italy, 1832 - 1909)

Three members of the brotherhood of the blind, Tokyo, Japan. Old 19th century engraved illustration Travel to Japan by Aime Humbert from El Mundo en La Mano 1879

from a photography album with images of Japan, 19th-20th century, 9 1/2 x 7 7/16 in. (24.13 x 18.89 cm) (sheet)9 x 13 x 1 1/2 in. (22.9 x 33 x 3.8 cm) (album, closed), Gelatin silver print, Japan, 19th-20th century

Japanese Yakonin in Dress of Ceremony; Felice Beato (English, born Italy, 1832 - 1909); Japan; 1866 - 1867; Hand-colored Albumen silver print

Xa-La, Tonkin, Indochina of village actors , Léon Busy in Indochina (French - Xa-la , Tonkin , Indochine Des acteurs de village). Woman, spectacle costume, makeup, Evening, child, group portrait, accessory, architectural inscription, hairstyle , headgear, theater, man, Human beings, clothing, registration , information, art, Indochina, Tonkin, actors, village actors

Shinto High Priests Parade outside their Tokyo Shrine of Remembrance on Emperors birthday. First time this has been done for foreign photographers. June 20, 1950.

Soissons, Aisne, France Monsignor Landais, archpriest of the cathedral posing near a statue , 1917 - Aisne - Fernand Cuville (photographic section of the army) - (May -July) (French - Soissons , Aisne , France Monseigneur Landais , archiprêtre de la cathédrale posant près d' une statue). War effort , war work, First World War

Buddhist Priests & Buddhism - Religion (See: Osel Hita/Personalities). May 27, 1946. (Photo by J.P.L. Photo).

Poelzig Hans (1869-1936), film decoration: living Buddhas (1922-1922): scenes in front of temple. Photo on cardboard, 30.6 x 39.2 cm (including scan edges)

Geisha Playing at Go; possibly Baron Raimund von Stillfried (Austrian, 1839 - 1911); Japan; 1870s - 1890s; Hand-colored Albumen silver print

Bali is home to most of Indonesia's small Hindu minority with some 92% of the island's 4 million population adhering to Balinese Hinduism, while most of the remainder follow Islam. Bali is the largest tourist destination in Indonesia, and is renowned for its highly developed arts, including traditional and modern dance, sculpture, painting, leatherwork, metalwork and music.

Oiran () were the courtesans of Edo period Japan. The oiran were considered a type of yujo () 'woman of pleasure' or prostitute. However, they were distinguished from the yujo in that they were entertainers, and many became celebrities of their times outside the pleasure districts. Their art and fashions often set trends among the wealthy and, because of this, cultural aspects of oiran traditions continue to be preserved to this day. The oiran arose in the Edo period (1600-1868). At this time, laws were passed restricting brothels to walled districts set some distance from the city center. In the major cities these were the Shimabara in Kyoto, the Shinmachi in Osaka, and the Yoshiwara in Edo (present-day Tokyo). These rapidly grew into large, self-contained 'pleasure quarters' offering all manner of entertainments. Within, a courtesan’s birth rank held no distinction, which was fortunate considering many of the courtesans originated as the daughters of impoverished families who wer

Buddhist priest, Japan, Asia

Black and white photo from a book of a fair magician in Korea.

Locals at pigeon feeding before the Hachimanzchein in Kamakura

Young monks peep out a window in the monastery at Paro to look at dancers Bhutan Copyright: xTxSatyan/DinodiaxPhotox

King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V) of Siam, with his family. In this photo, Crown Prince Vajirunhis leans on his fathers chair, while the future King Rama VI, Prince Vajiravudh, stands behind the queens chair. Its not entirely clear which of Chulalongkorns four queens is pictured here, but she most resembles Queen Saovabha Bongsri, the mother of Vajiravudh. Crown Prince Vajirunhis died unexpectedly at the age of 16 in 1894, so Chulalongkorn was succeeded by Vajiravudh instead in 1910.

An incarnation of the 'Great immortal white lama', the two year old 'Holy Lama' worshipped as a divine being at the Usersky-Dazan monastery in Mongolia. Date: 22nd Dec 1928

The Suwa Shrine, Nagasaki.. Postcards. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection. Nagasaki-shi (Japan), Shinto shrines,Japan, Stone lanterns

Japan. 19th Century. Judge. Drawing by Neuville. Colored engraving.

Procession at the Tai-Kioku den Temple in Kyoto, Japan, c. 1890 - In or Before 1903 photograph This photo is part of an album. Kyoto paper. photographic support albumen print public festivities (+ parade, pageant, cavalcade ~ festive activities). temple, shrine ~ Shinto Kyoto

Shanghai. A Buddhist temple in the old city.. Postcards, Genre paintings. 1908. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection. Buddhist temples, Shanghai (China), City & town life , China

Clothes, pilgrims and priests, from lks, e Shto priest, e Shto pilgrim, e Japanese Wter clothes, e citizen summer clothes and ee lady city clothes, digitally restored reproduction of an original from the 19th century, fashion in Japan

Bhutan: His Majesty Ugyen Wangchuck (11 June 1862 - 26 August 1926), 1st Druk Gyalpo or 'Dragon King' (r. 1907-1926). Photo by John Claude White (1853-1918), 1905.

Gempo Yamamoto (1866-1961) Abbot of Ryutakuji and Shoin-ji in Japan. Acting head of the Myoshin-ji branch of Rinzai Zen Buddhism. 1923

Portrait of Gojong of Korea, the first emperor of Korea, Late Joseon Era

Japan, nikko, meditation, 1954.

Khmer classical dance is a traditional form of dance in Cambodia which shares many similarities with classical dances of Thailand and Laos. The Cambodian form is known by various names in English, such as Khmer Royal Ballet and Cambodian Court Dance. Being a highly stylized art form performed primarily by females, Khmer classical dance, during the French protectorate era, was largely confined to the courts of royal palaces, performed by the consorts, concubines, relatives, and attendants of the palace.

Seoul is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of more than 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the developed world. The Seoul Capital Area, which includes the surrounding Incheon metropolis and Gyeonggi province, is the world's second largest metropolitan area with over 25.6 million people, home to over half of South Koreans along with 632,000 international residents. During the Korean War, Seoul changed hands between the Chinese-backed North Korean forces and the UN-backed South Korean forces several times, leaving the city heavily damaged after the war. One estimate of the extensive damage states that after the war, at least 191,000 buildings, 55,000 houses, and 1,000 factories lay in ruins. In addition, a flood of refugees had entered Seoul during the war, swelling the population of Seoul and its metropolitan area to an estimated 2.5 million, more than half of them homeless.

A group of Tibetan Lamas in Darjeeling, India. A Lama is the title for a Tibetan teacher of the Dharma Date: circa 1910s

Wedding procession, Peking. Wedding procession, Peking

American Christian missionary school in Joseon era, Korea, 1890.

Japan, Tamamura, Kōzaburō, The Buddhist Priests, Four Buddhist priests in Japan, photomechanical print, page, photos, photographically illustrated books, height 106 mm, width 150 mm, 1856 - 1923, maker, manufacturer, 1895 - 1905, paper, collotype, photoprint

Le Hamel, Somme, Picardie, France The priest gives communion to soldiers , 1915 - Picardie - Stéphane Passet (French - Le Hamel , Somme , Picardie , France Le prêtre donne la communion aux soldats). Religious habit, military uniform, religious practice, altar, mass, front, religious architecture, ephemeral architecture, man, Clothing, religion, First World War, Habitat , Architecture, Human Starries, France, Hamel, the priest gives communion to soldiers

Marriage Ceremony, Unknown man and woman and a future bridal couple, recto - printed, photomechanical print, page, photos, photographically illustrated books, There is almost no end to the meries connected with the nuptial alliance in Japan, commencing the 'Miai' or the meeting of the prospestcive bride and bridegroom, height 134 mm, width 173 mm, maker, fabricator, 1891 - 1896, color light print

March 1929. From the century of the Holy Burial -.

Playing Samisen, Tsudzumi, Fuye and Taiko; Kusakabe Kimbei (Japanese, 1841 - 1934, active 1880s - about 1912); Japan; 1870s - 1890s; Hand-colored Albumen silver print

Buddhist Believers Holding Mass. South Korea.

The Meiji Emperor of Japan, standing centre, with the Japanese imperial family, May 1900. After Torajiro Kasai, Japanese artist

The Phuan people (วน), also known as Tai Phuan, Thai Puan (Thai: ไทวน) or Lao Phuan, are a Theravada Buddhist Tai people spread out in small pockets over most of the northeastern Isan region with other groups scattered in central Thailand and Laos (Xieng Khouang Province).

This scene in Japan dates to 1909. It shows jinrikisha men during cherry blossom time.

Photograph of Candidates for baptism from the Church Missionary Society Girls' Boarding School at Foo-Chow

Astrologer´s shop, Myanmar Burma, Asia

Interior of a Iban Dayak longhouse,Sarawak, Malaysia.

Close-up of posters at a market stall, Xi´an, Shaanxi Province, China

Traditional Vietnamese dance includes several different forms. These include: dance as performed in Vietnamese theatre and opera, dances performed at festivals, and royal dances of the imperial court. Dance is thought to have been an integral part of Vietnamese culture since ancient times, as depicted by engravings found on Dong Son drums.

Folk medicine practitioner, Bomoh, Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Asia

Buddhism in Thailand is largely of the Theravada school. Nearly 95% of Thailand's population is Theravada Buddhist, though Buddhism in this country has become integrated with folk beliefs as well as Chinese religions from the large Thai-Chinese population. Buddhist temples in Thailand are characterized by tall golden stupas, and the Buddhist architecture of Thailand is similar to that in other Southeast Asian countries, particularly Cambodia and Laos, with which Thailand shares cultural and historical heritage.

Strange Rituals Of Curing Ailments And Increasing Life Is Practiced In Japan -- The Moxa is put on the bare skin at spots indicated by the priest. Only certain parts of the back are used for this treatment. April 27, 1940. (Photo by Kosmos Press Bureau (London) Ltd.).

The old pine tree of Karasaki.. Postcards. 1901 - 1907. The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Picture Collection. mi-ch (Japan), Historic trees, Japanese black pine, Trellises, Stone lanterns

revolutionary workers reciting Chairman Mao's quotations, during the Cultural Revolution, China 1968

Vintage photograph. Egyptian burial

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