19th Century OLD HONG KONG PHOTOGRAPH Album CHINA Execution CHINESE 39 Images
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:120589 | Country/Region of Manufacture: China |
| Type: Photographs | Decade: Pre 1900s |
OLD HONG KONG PHOTOGRAPH ALBUM
circa late 1890s
A Rare early photograph album from Hong Kong packed full of early Hong Kong Chinese interest photographs depicting way of life in the streets, hills and rivers of Old Hong Kong in the late 19th century. Many of these photographs have the Peak in the distance or are of Peak interest. The Peak was where the ruling Colonial Classes lived and today this area still houses Hong Kong's richest people.
It would appear... by the chinese album, the english hand annotations and the differing quality and production of each shot that this was a Westerners album on a late 19th century trip to Hong Kong and the photographs were annotated on that trip at the time of being tipped into the album.
It is of concertina type with photographs on either side of the leaf. It is bound in late nineteenth century dark red traditional chinese manufactured lacquer boards with original raised gilt illustration to front board & peony and black leaf hand painted illustration to rear board. Several of the concertina leaves have come loose but are still present. The album could be quite easily repaired by a bookbinder but we have decided to leave that to the succesful purchaser. One photograph missing. Most images are between 5-6" x 4".
The list of photographs is as follows with each of the Westerners annotations listed below. The comments in brackets are what we can see in the photograph or any further evidence of location or comments of interest etc etc.
1) Pirates awaiting execution (five pirates in front of largely Chinese Militia [some with chinese lettering to the front of their tunics] wearing Chinese conical hats [douli] and armed with rifles.2) Race Course Hong Kong [Built in the Happy Valley. So primitive in this photograph compared to the high rises of today. 3) Portion of Peak [can see the Peak Road and a few very Colonial houses; one under construction with scaffolding]4) Queen's Road - Central [locals near building with scaffolding. Obviously on Southern end of the Queen's Road near Pedder Street as you can clearly see Pedder Street Clock Tower which was built in 1862 and sadly demolisthed in 1913) 5) Chinese Woman (mild lightening to edges of image) [clearly showing off her bound feet rested on a footstool - one foot in tiny ornamental shoe - the other naked showing effects of early binding. Wearing Chinese silk kimono and seated on western chair with silk fabric]6) Chinese boys at Chow [eight boys approximately 4-8 years of age eating Chow]7) Pirates cut in pieces [not a nice picture with one headless with head beside and another cut into small pieces]8) Barbers [three street barbers cutting hair of youngish ladies - two of the barbers have very long hair which is not tied up (improper) - rickshaws in background and a few locals] 9) Peak Mt Austin Bks [Mount Austin Barracks located on Mt Austin Road & views of Mount Austin in background. Built as a hostel/hotel in about 1890 it offered and bathroom for every bedroom which was rare at that time. It was a failure and used as a barracks from the mid 1890s onwards until it was destroyed in the second world war. 10) Kowloon City [originally a Chinese military fort - the wall up the hill is clearly visible - this image has particularly good definition and you can see how sparsely occupied it is compared to today - approximately 700 people. The Convention for Extension agreement with Britiain did not include Kowloon City and Chinese officials were allowed to be kept here as long as they didn't interfere with British defence. British officials thought that they did and invaded in 1898 to find it nearly empty with only 150 residents. The British didn't really concern itself with Kowloon City for the next few decades afterwards - the Qing Dynasty ended in 1912 leaving the city to the Britsh]11) Chinese Joss House [the english phrase for a place of Worship where joss sticks were burnt inside and out. This looks like a fairly provincial joss house at the foot of a mountain]12) Peak Flagstaff [Flagstaff House was the home of the British Commander of Hong Kong - built in 1846, four years after Britain took over Hong Kong as a colony. Its the oldest Western style building in Hong Kong. 13) Peak [view of the mountains and the Western colonial buildings]14) Hong Kong Hotel [with the Pedder Clock Tower showing behind in The Queen's Road. Originally stood where "The Central Building" now stands - It was Hong Kong's first luxurious hotel based on those in London. It was built in 1862 and ended in 1952.15) Queen's Statue - Made of bronze in Pimlico, London by Raggi - it is of Queen Victoria and was put in Statue Square in 1896. During the Japanese occupation it was taken to Japan to be melted down but was restored to Hong Kong in 1952. Statue Square was built on land totally reclaimed at the end of the 19th century]16) Hong Kong Shanga's Bank [now known as Hong Kong Shanghai Bank (HSBC) - established in Hong Kong in 1865]17) Peak Tramway [interesting is the amount of scaffolding on buildings on the Peak and shows the fast rate at which Colonialistion was taking place at the at of the 19th and early 20th century; It runs from the Central District to Victoria Peak. It opened in 1888 and had three classes, First to Third]18) Public Garden, fountain [in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens - 14 acres on the Northern slope of Victoria Peak. Founded in 1864 and is one of the largest Botanical Gardens in the World. You can see just Government House in the background]19) Sir Arthur Kennedy's Stature [in the Botanical Gardens. It was taken by the Japanese during the second world war and never returned]20) City Hall [first city hall existed between 1869 and 1933 and built in a Renaissance style - built for the local community and providing a theatre, library and assembly rooms. 21) Hakka Village [Hong Kong was particularly vulnerable to pirates' attacks. Winding shores, hilly lands and islands and far from administrative centres made Hong Kong an excellent hideout for pirates. Villages, both Punti and Hakka, built walls against them. Some villages even protected themselves with cannons. Over time, the walls of most walled villages have been partly or totally demolished - in this photograph a local man is standing looking at the camera and the wall is very evident at the top of the shot]22) Parsee Cemetary [located beside the racecourse at Happy Valley - built in 1845. It is a popular movie location now]23) Protestant cemetary [same as above]24) Yanmata [harbour scene with many junks and harbour buildings behind]25) Hindoo Mosque, Kowloon [Guard at entrance. Locals round and about in streets with parasols. Established in 1896 by the Hong Kong Regiment for the Indian Muslim troops of the British Army stationed at the nearby Whitfield Barracks now the site of adjacent Kowloon Park. The Mosque is now replaced by the Tsim Shu Tsui Police Station. 26) Kowloon [shows the Kowloon Peninsula from above with many junks and several steam ships. Mountains behind - importantly those eight mountains and the Emporer make up "eight dragons" which is what Kowloon means]27) Pirates after execution [eight decapatated pirates on the beach with eight Colonial Western types behind. Mountains at back drop]28) Farmer in rain-coat [palm leaf rain coat for local farmer]29) Woman carrying a child [traditional baby sling on a native]30) Farmer Ploughing [basic plough and what looks like a buffolo]31) Chinese girls sewing32) Woman spinning 33) Farmer going to work 34) Potted Chinese Ancestors [remains of bodies of ancestors in stone pots lined up at foot of rock]35) Sawyer [local Chinese man in shorts only using single handedly a two man sawyer to cut massive timber post. Other Sawyer looking on. Timber yard evident behind onlooker).36) Junks [in Honk Kong harbour]37) Prisoners in stocks [six prisoners in stocks]38) Sedan Chair [local in sedan chair obviously carried by lesser caste locals]39) Caine Road [runs through the mid levels of Hong Kong; names after William Caine an acting Governor of Hong Kong in the mid 1850s
Hardback. 7.%" x 6"
Original Nineteenth century red lacquer boards with raised gilt decoration to front board & floral peony black hand decoration to rear board. Concertina action leaves. The front board has detatched and a couple of the concertina leaves have come loose - however, all these could be easily and cheaply repaired by a binder and we have left it completely in its original state so that the purchaser could do what they wish with it. All images have Western annotations below in English below or to the side. Some foxing to backing sheets only - images free of foxing. One tiny graze to one photograph. All photographs have differing levels of contrast due to the usual process of aging. One photograph missing of "The Refreshment camp". All images roughly 5-6" x 4".
Obviously we can only show a fraction of the photographs that are available due to ebay's 12 photo max listing - we hope we have chosen a representative sample.
A very rare find indeed. A late 19th century photograph album from the early Colonial days. Many of the images show buildings & a society both of which no longer exist today. Our estimate based on the photographs and their subjects is that this is a Westerners trip to Hong Kong immediately after the New Territories agreement lease by the Chinese to the British in 1898.
This item is offered with No Reserve and a Low Starting Price.
