'Brush and Shutter: Early Photography in China explores the introduction of photography to China and the cultural shifts that heralded the technology's arrival. The essays examine photography's reception by indigenous Chinese reformers and the dissemination of photography's appeal throughout the Middle Kingdom while scrutinizing visual data in unprecedented ways. This volume looks below the surface of the exposed photographic print to consider the often-obscured realities associated with portraiture, landscapes, and panoramas. And as never before, Brush and Shutter places the first Chinese photographers within a historical context. Enjoyable, thought-provoking essays by Jeffrey W. Cody and Frances Terpak, Sarah Fraser, Edwin Lai, Wu Hung, and Wen-hsin Yeh offer some surprising conclusions.' (Back cover)

This volume features holdings of the Research Library at the Getty Research Institute and accompanies the exhibition 'Brush and Shutter: Early Photography in China', held at the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, February to May 2011. Includes list of exhibits.