Historical Photos To Blow Your Mind: New Release!

Historical Beauties Almost Wiped Out by Colonial Imperialism

Look familiar? No, it’s not Chrissy Teigen. Seriously. But the two could be twins if it weren’t for the years separating them. This unknown woman is of mixed Chinese and indigenous/Indio (Filipino) ancestry. The photo was taken around 1875, by Dutch photographer Francisco Van Camp.

The pioneers of photography in the Philippines, including Francisco Van Camp, were mostly Western photographers from Europe. Photos were used as a way to distribute information about the newly settled colony, as a tool for tourism, as material for propaganda, and in anthropology studies. Van Camp was a Dutch photographer who made a living for himself by photographing the area.