Tag Archives: children

‘Normal’ Lives Led in Abnormal Conditions

Dr Andrew Hillier shows how a recently- discovered collection of photographs shines a spotlight on the importance of family in treaty port China in the early twentieth century. On 12 April 1899, Edith Sarah Sharples and Walter James Clennell were … Continue reading

Posted in Family photography, New Collections | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on ‘Normal’ Lives Led in Abnormal Conditions

About scratching, they were never wrong, the old masters

OK, that’s not what W.H. Auden actually wrote, but while I have been enjoying the selections of photographs made by Tom Larkin for our new Instagram feed — @hpcbristol, go on, follow us — Auden’s poem ‘Musée des Beaux Arts’ … Continue reading

Posted in About us | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on About scratching, they were never wrong, the old masters

The joys of everyday life on the China Coast

The F. Hagger collection encompasses some 260 photographs of China in the early 1930s, as well as many of Japan, Singapore, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), North Borneo, Manila, India, Egypt, and others which are not on the Historical Photographs of China … Continue reading

Posted in Collections, New Collections | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The joys of everyday life on the China Coast

Introducing the Malcolm Rosholt Collection

Today we are able to unveil a significant new addition to our collections that is now available for viewing: the photographs of Malcolm Rosholt. Born in Wisconsin in 1907, Malcolm Rosholt arrived in China in 1931 with the intention of … Continue reading

Posted in Collections, Photographers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Introducing the Malcolm Rosholt Collection

Maura Elizabeth Cunningham on poverty

Maura Elizabeth Cunningham who is our guest blogger this week, is a historian and writer based in Shanghai. Follow her on Twitter @mauracunningham. The Americans and Europeans who came to China in the first half of the twentieth century often … Continue reading

Posted in Guest blogs, Photograph of the day | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Maura Elizabeth Cunningham on poverty

Sailing on

We have been on our holidays, but were also overwhelmed by correspondence resulting from July’s BBC Radio 4 documentary about the project, ‘Old Photographs Fever‘, and the accompanying BBC News slideshow. Many wonderful new collections were offered to us, and … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere on the net, Photographers | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Sailing on

Amahs

Omnipresent in many of the portraits of foreign families, especially children, is the amah. Often unnamed, or simply captioned ‘Amah’ , these were the Chinese nannies and wet-nurses, servants who suckled or looked after children. They were indispensable additions to … Continue reading

Posted in Photograph of the day | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Amahs

Silk filature or factory, Shanghai, c.1900

A filature was an establishment for reeling silk from cocoons.  There were many such factories in Shanghai and they must have employed several hundred children. Silk was of course a luxury item for the wealthy, and much exported.  This sobering … Continue reading

Posted in Photograph of the day | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Silk filature or factory, Shanghai, c.1900

Egg and spoon race, Chefoo, Easter 1902

If some things Chinese were puzzling to foreigners, some things European may have seemed most odd to the Chinese.  How to explain the why and wherefore of an egg and spoon race? In the Commissioner of Customs’s garden at ‘Hillfields’, … Continue reading

Posted in cross-searching, Photograph of the day | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Egg and spoon race, Chefoo, Easter 1902