• Felice Beato (photographer)

Partial view of the ruins of the Upper North Taku Fort, showing dead soldiers, Taku (now Dagu), near Tientsin (now Tianjin), China

21 August 1860

- This photograph is one in a series of views which Felice Beato made of the four Taku Forts (Harris, p. 139; Worswick, p. 138).
- The title of a published identical image, "Interior of the English Entrance to North Fort on August 21st 1860" is inaccurate, as this view shows the inside of the fort at the point where the French forces entered (Harris, pp. 140-141).
- The identical image published in Harris (p. 62, cat. no. 17) does not show the crossbow and ladder visible at u.l. in the CCA image, indicating that the published photo was either retouched or is a second (copy) negative (Harris p. 141).

Albumen silver print

comp.: 25.3 x 29.7 cm secondary support: 36.7 x 52.0 cm

PH1986:0901:010

• exterior view

inscribed - by an unknown hand, in graphite, on the secondary support, l.c.: with title numbered - by an unknown hand, in graphite, on the secondary support, l.c.: "8" inscribed - by an unknown hand, in graphite, on the sheet, verso, u.l. to u.c.: "Inside Fort Taku [illeg.]" [seen in mirror image through recto of photograph]

Dagu; Tianjin; China;

• architecture
• ingénierie
• militaire

• ruins
• casemates
• cross-bow
• earthworks (engineering works)
• long guns
• fort
• ramp
• columns (architectural elements)
• cannons (artillery)
• defensive walls
• gangway
• corpses