“My account of her should, therefore, have some little value, for I am the only European who has ever had a chance to study this remarkable woman in her own milieu, or to look upon the facts of her life from the stand-point within her own circle.”

Throughout history, nobility have requested their likeness to be captured by artists using various means. Katharine A. Carl was an American artist invited into the Summer Palace to paint the first portrait of the Empress Dowager Cixi, which was to be presented at an exposition in St Louis in the United States. This sensational account of her time with the Empress Dowager and the Chinese Court details not only the painting process, which in some ways broke away from established traditions in China, but also describes various social customs and festivals she witnessed during her stay, many of which had never been observed by a foreigner. These included birthday celebrations for the Empress Dowager and Emperor, Lunar New Year festivities, the Lantern Festival, and many other notable events.

After her return to America, statements were ascribed to Carl that she believes misrepresent both her and the Empress Dowager, an early version of what we would today consider “fake news”. Thus, With the Empress Dowager was written to set the record straight. Detailing the scenery of numerous historical sites in China, including the Summer Palace, Winter Palace, Sea Palace, Temple of Heaven, and many more, this book brings to life the landscape and Chinese Court in the early 1900s, making it an interesting and essential text to read before venturing to these places.