Temple of Heaven from the Place Where the Priests Are Burnt, in the Chinese City of Pekin, October 1860 1860

Felice Beato created this albumen print of the Temple of Heaven in Beijing in October 1860. The photographic process itself is crucial to understanding this image. Albumen printing, popular in the 19th century, involved coating paper with egg white and silver nitrate, making it sensitive to light. The process demanded precision, and the final image, sepia-toned and rich in detail, held a distinctive aesthetic. Yet, albumen prints were also mass-produced, feeding a voracious market for images of faraway lands. Beato's choice of subject is inseparable from the second Opium War, which concluded with the capture of Beijing. His photographs documented the destruction and capture of the city, acting as both historical record and colonial trophy. While seemingly objective, the photograph’s very existence speaks to issues of power, labor, and the global circulation of images in an age of empire. Beato's image serves as a reminder that even seemingly straightforward documentation is deeply embedded in social and political context.