 In December 1843, Itier was sent to accompany Théodore de Lagrené on his journey to China, where he been dispatched by Louis Philippe to conclude a commercial treaty.In China, Itier documented the conclusion of the Treaty of Whampoa and took a number of daguerreotypes of Chinese people and scenery in the Guangdong region.Although the daguerreotype reportedly reached China in the later stages of the First Opium War, Itier's daguerreotypes are the earliest preserved photographs of China.