This digital library gathers together a large body of primarily European and American images of the island of Taiwan -- called "Formosa" by foreign visitors in the 19th Century -- and its various peoples. These textual representations, woodcuts, maps, and linguistic data were originally published in European and North American books and journals during the 19th Century, but are not easily accessible to those interested in the history of Taiwan today.
This site consists of firsthand accounts of 19th-century Taiwan from the perspective of European and American visitors. These visitors, who referred to modern-day Taiwan by the name “Formosa,” produced hundreds of maps, travelogues, ethnographic accounts, and photographs, as well as artwork, leaving us a vivid picture of the island and its people. A large selection of these primary materials have been collected and reproduced here.
