Painting

This painting shows the rather decadent lifestyle of an opium smoker. Here his three servants are waiting on him as he is about to indulge in his vice.

By the time this painting was made China was no longer a mysterious country in a far-away land. With the advent of photography Europeans did not rely solely on paintings and drawings to catch a glimpse of Chinese life. As a result, Chinese paintings for foreign visitors made during the period from about 1880 to 1900 tend to be more decorative than factual.