Cataract of Ting-hoo, or the Tripod lake.

Biography:

Thomas Allom (1804 –1872) 

 Artist, illustrator and prominent
architect, Allom designed many buildings in London, including the Church
of St Peters.  Allom is best known for his paintings and engravings of
various exotic countries. Beginning in the 1820’s he traveled
extensively throughout Britain, Europe, Middle East and China. He
published his travel in the following accounts, all of which were
superbly illustrated with fine and detailed engravings;Constantinople and the Scenery of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor 1838,Character and Costume in Turkey and Italy, 1840.His most notable work was China Illustrate published
in 1845- not long after the First Opium War or The Treaty of Nanking
(1842), which allowed the British greater access to Chinese ports and
ceded Hong Kong to British rule, meaning that the British were able to
gain further insight into the previously unknown mysteries of China.
This engraving from this very popular series played a crucial role in
the growing interest and intrigue that the West developed towards the
Chinese aesthetic. Prior to this series, many topographical views of
China were incomplete. Allom’s China Illustrated helped
create a clearer image for the Europeans as to what Imperial China was
like by including not just landscapes but also social customs, history,
law and politics.