John Thomson (1837-1921) was a photographer from Edinburgh, England. In 1871, he arrived at the Ta-kou Port in Taiwan. Then, from Tainan he traveled to La-ku (situated in the northeast of present-day Kaohsiung). On his journey, he took a number of fine photographs of what he saw, and went on to become a renowned realist photographer of his time. His works reveal an intimacy, a quality rarely detected in modern-day photographs. With his camera, the photographer and the subject formed a strong spiritual connection. He also documented all that he had seen and heard in his The Straits of Malacca, Indo-China and China, which was published in 1877. The book was then translated into French, German, and Dutch, and became an important source for materials on Taiwan.

Boat of Formosa 18th century 25.2 × 41cm

Manners and Customs of early Chinese inhabitants in Formosa 19th century 27 × 40cm

Bay on the Northern Keelung, Formosa 19th century 29 × 40 cm

Sketches in the Island of Formosa and its Aboriginals 19th century 28 × 40.5cm

P'ingp'u Hunters 19th century 21 × 29.6cm

Pendant in La-lung Riverside 19th century 20.2 × 15.5cm

Aboriginals of P'ingp'u, Laku 19th century 19.8 × 27cm

Resting-hut for P'ingp'u Hunters 19th century 18.7 × 11cm

P'ingp'u Dress and Costume and Accessories 19th century 18.2 × 19.3cm

P'ingp'u Tribesmen Resting on a Riverside 19th century 20.5 × 15cm

Takao Port photographed in the 19th century 19th century 21 × 15cm

P'ingp'u Huts 19th century 20.5 × 15.2cm