Architectural View of the Lama Temple Near Pekin, October 1860

Art Historical Context

In October 1860, Felice Beato, a pioneering British-Italian photographer renowned for his vivid documentation of 19th-century conflicts and Asian landscapes, captured this striking *Architectural View of the Lama Near Pekin*. The depicts the ornate Yonghe Temple (also known as the Lama Temple) in Beijing a key Tibetan Buddhist site blending Chinese and Tibetan architectural styles with intricate pavilions, courtyards, and gilded roofs. Beato's work arrived amid the Second Opium War, when Anglo-French forces occupied Beijing, marking a pivotal moment of Western incursion into China and the infamous sacking of the Summer Palace nearby. This albumen print, measuring nearly 29 × 25 cm, exemplifies the era's cutting-edge photographic medium. Albumen, made from egg whites sensitized with silver salts, produced sharp details, warm tones, and a subtle luster that brought distant scenes to life for Western audiences. Beato's masterful composition emphasizes the temple's grandeur against a clear sky, offering a rare, on-the-ground glimpse of imperial China just before profound upheavals. As one of the earliest photographs of this sacred site, the print holds immense historical value, preserving architectural details now altered by time and conflict. Donated to the National Gallery of Art, it invites visitors to ponder the clash of cultures and the power of photography to bridge worlds.

About the Artist

Felice Beato · 1832–1909

Felice Beato (c. 1832–1909), an Italian-born photographer who became a British subject through his family's residence on the British protectorate island of Corfu, emerged as one of the pioneering figures in war and travel photography. Born in Venice or Corfu to a Venetian noble family with roots in Corfu, Beato's early life remains somewhat obscure, but he acquired his first photographic lens in P...