China, circa 1900
by Auguste François

Auguste François, a French diplomat in Indochina from 1896 to 1904, photographed extensively during his travels and used the images to add color and depth to his diplomatic writings. This photograph, taken during a trip François made to the Yunnan Province in Southwestern China, shows a stoic young bride dressed for her wedding day and likely helped François write about the varied ethnic populations – and their customs – that have lived in this region of China for nearly 2000 years.