An exhibition of "Earliest Photographs of China" is underway in Beijing's Reignwood Artwork Center. It features the early form of photography called the daguerreotype. The pictures of Chinese people and scenery in Guangdong Province and Macao were taken by French amateur daguerreotypist Jules Itier in 1840s. And 15 of them are considered to be the earliest preserved photographs of China.

An exhibition of "Earliest Photographs of China" is underway in Beijing's Reignwood Artwork Center.

The earliest photographs of China.

Black and white pictures of people and scenery take us back 170 years to Guangdong Province and Macao.

These rare photographs were taken by French amateur daguerreotypist Jules Itier in 1843 and 1844, and remained unknown until the 1970s. Now they are finally getting the exposure they deserve.

Earlier this year, they were displayed in Paris and attracted thousands of visitors. And now they are here in China for the first time.

These photos are important also because they were shot with the daguerreotype process of photography, one of the earliest methods of photography. As the photo was made in the camera on a silvered copper plate, one shooting makes only one photo.

Curator Wu Gang said, "These daguerreotypes are difficult to take, especially when photographing people, because the exposure was so long. It could take about ten minutes. So a person being photographed needs to stay still for ten minutes."

The exhibition also features the earliest daguerreotype cameras and other equipment.

The exhibition in Beijing runs till January 3rd. Then these precious photos will be showcased in Lishui in Zhejiang Province and Wuhan, Hubei Province.

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