Liang Shitai

Liang Shitai (?—?), a Cantonese, was one of the most important portrait photographers in China during the late Qing Dynasty. He specialized in portraits of high-ranking officials, as well as photos that would appeal to Chinese clients who favored literati paintings. As one of the first photographers to photograph important officials and other prominent figures of the Qing Dynasty, Liang Shitai's work first convinced the Qing court to accept photography as an artistic medium. In the early 1870s, he established his own studio in Hong Kong, then moved to Shanghai in the late 1870s and then to Tianjin in the 1880s. Leong Sze-tai's photographs are among the most historically significant and visually stunning of his time.