These Historical Photos Will Make You Wish You Could Turn Back Time

Mona Lisa of the Pacific Islands

In 1875, Dutch photographer Francisco Van Camp took a photograph of a woman at his studio in Manila. She became known as the “Mona Lisa of the Pacific Islands,” but her identity has remained a mystery. The only data that was available for this photo was a description claiming she was a “Mestiza de Sangley.” The term was coined during the Philippines’ Spanish colonial period and was used to refer to someone of Chinese descent.