James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin carte de visite photograph by Disderi of Paris dating from the 1860's

James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine, (20 July 1811 – 20 November 1863) was a British colonial administrator and diplomat. He served asGovernor of Jamaica (1842–1846) Governor General of the province of Canada (1847–1854), and Viceroy of India (1862–1863). In 1857, he was appointed High Commissioner and Plenipotentiary in China and the Far East to assist in the process of opening up China and Japan to Western trade. In 1860, during theSecond Opium War in China, in retaliation for the torture and execution of almost twenty European and Indian prisoners, he ordered the destruction of theOld Summer Palace in Beijing, an architectural wonder with immeasurable collections of artworks and historic antiques, inflicting invaluable loss of cultural heritage. Subsequently, he submitted the Qing dynasty to the unequal treaty of the Convention of Peking, adding Kowloon Peninsula to the British crown colony of Hong Kong.

This item is is in nice condition with some scuff marks (one almost a pin hole) to the border and is 10.5cm x 6cm across.

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