As routes opened up in the mid-nineteenth century, a new generation of travellers embarked on excursions to India, China and Japan. Seeking authentic cultural experiences, these ‘globetrotters’ flocked to the East, towards what they hoped to be the unchanged landscapes and traditions of these three countries. During their travels, the globetrotters dined on taboo delicacies, such as bird’s nest soup, and ventured into forbidden territory, entering tombs and temples not listed in the tourists’ guidebooks and visiting notorious locations. Their letters home were often accompanied by whimsical photographs taken in the cosmopolitan studios of Japan.

Much like the museums set up by these travellers on their return, The Globetrotter is a curation of encounters, lavishly illustrated throughout with reproductions of early, hand-coloured photography. The records of the globetrotter phenomenon reveal a journey of questioning preconceptions and of self-transformation through travel.

Author: Amy Miller

Brand: British Library Publishing

Number of pages: 256 pages

Binding: Hardback

Dimensions: 240 x 165 mm