I’m a source hoarder (I prefer “preservation maximalist”) and too many times I've returned to a fascinating resource only to find the link dead, so I felt compelled to re-host here many of the 80+ photo books that I’ve collected from various online sources. What you see below is just a sampling, which I will be organizing and adding to over time (incl. my own items). A significant portion of this collection comes from Shuge.org 书格, a fantastic open digital library dedicated to preserving and freely sharing public domain Chinese historical materials. These really are pretty remarkable.* Great for teaching, research, or presentations. The intent too is to make these more accessible for English-speaking audiences who may find materials on Chinese-language sites difficult to discover or navigate. The collection so far covers mid-19th century through to the 1970s and were mostly taken by foreign visitors to China.
Shuge.org and the scanners deserve special recognition for their work making these materials freely available and for their explicit encouragement to "freely reprocess, recreate, and republish" without watermarks or restrictions.
*Be aware of the large file size of some of these, which is due to their very high resolution.
If you are a copyright holder with concerns about any item, or if you recognize your scanning work and would like attribution, please contact me.
Another great collection of contemporary and historical photos by many Chinese photographers can be found at: https://photographyofchina.com
