Top of the Wall From Anting Gate, Pekin, Taken Possession by English and French Troops, October 1860

Art Historical Context

This striking albumen print by Feliceato captures a pivotal moment the Anting Gate wall in Peking (modern-day Beijing) in October 1860. Beato, a pioneering Italian-born photographer renowned for his war documentation, records the triumphant arrival of English and French troops during the Second Opium War The image, measuring 23.5 × 29 cm, vividly portrays soldiers amid the ancient fortifications, symbolizing Western imperial expansion into China. Historically, this scene follows the allied forces' capture of the city after sacking and burning the Old Summer Palace, forcing the Qing Dynasty to sign the humiliating Convention of Peking. Beato's work offers rare visual testimony to these events, blending journalism with artistry at a time when photography was revolutionizing historical records. The albumen process—using egg whites to bind light-sensitive silver salts—yields the print's sharp detail and warm tones, hallmarks of mid-19th-century photography. Donated to the National Gallery of Art by Michael and Jane Wilson, it invites visitors to reflect on the clash of empires and the enduring power of the camera's eye.

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...