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China: Hand-painted representation of mistress and servant in 19th century Qing Dynasty high society

China: Hand-painted representation of mistress and servant in 19th century Qing Dynasty high society

Scenes of Service from a small album known as 'Chinese Drawings: Court and Society', showing contemporaneous style and fashion at the Qing Court.

The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912. Qing rulers were of the Jurchen Aisin Gioro clan, a nomadic tribe that originated northeast of the Great Wall in contemporary Northeastern China.

Over the course of its reign, the Qing became highly integrated with Chinese culture, learning Chinese and participating in rituals. The imperial examinations continued and Han civil servants administered the empire alongside Manchu ones.