9th Jan, 2024 13:00
Photographs & Optical Toys
A Highly Important Album & Material of Chinkiang (Zhenjiang), China, 1860s-1890s
Album containing rare (possibly Unique) views in the Treaty Port of Chinkiang (Zhenjiang) on the Yangtze River.
Album 15 x 11 1/2 inchs (380mm x 292mm) green cloth with red leather half binding. Spine missing and wear to boards. Label on front endpaper "TIEN SHING, BOOK BINDER, STATIONER AND PRINTER. HONAN ROAD No277, SHANGHAI".
82 albumen prints approx. 8 x 10 inch
11 albumen prints 3 1/2 x 5 inch
2 panoramas all China
55 albumen prints in Aden, Egypt, Somalia, Japan and Channel Islands
Included with a scrap book 12 x 14 inch hard bound, cloth covered.
The concession are at Chinkiang was divided into 19 lots in 1861. It lies along about 500 yards of bund on the south bank of the Yangtze River. The British Consulate was originally part of a Buddhist temple. In 1871, funds became available to construct a permanent building. In 1873, a two storey Consul's house and constable's quarters were built.The Consular buildings were burned and looted during a riot in February 1889, forcing the Consulate to move to a large foreign house temporarily. The Consulate was rebuilt in 1890.
The album was the property of John George Whitford Gearing, an agent in Chinkiang, his company listed as Gearing & Co. in the Chronicle and Directory for China, Japan, the Philipines and Hong Kong. He was also on the committee of the Land Renters Council in the British Concession of Chinkiang.
The album contains images in the Chinkiang area, showing the Customs House, dignatories houses with residents and staff, including Gearing himself.
Views on the outskirts showing local people and scenes. Rare images of the ruins of the British Consulate after the riot of 1889, including a two piece panorama with local residents looking on.
Views of Silver Island, Golden Island, Soochow and Nanking, including 2 images showing the interior of the Nanking Arsenal Workshop.
1 photograph is inscribed "Griffith" in the negative. David Knox Griffith, a British commercial photographer, listed as working in Shanghai from 1872. Griffith photographed the upper reaches of the Yangtze, which he described in a letter he wrote to Dr. Halliday Macartney on 17th July 1873. Macartney was a close advisor to a powerful Chinese Statesman, Li Hungzhang who was in charge of the Nanking arsenal. Griffith produced an album of views of the area, including Silver Island and foreign settlements which was mentioned in the North China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, 6th June, 1874.
1 image is labelled "H. C. Cammidge". Henry Cammidge, a photographer working in Shanghai from 1866-1874.
7 images are framed in the style of William Saunders. William Saunders is mentioned with Gearing in the Masonic periodical, The Freemason, 21st March 1874. Page 174 concerning the setting up of Doric Lodge no 1433.
The scrapbook holds the plans for Gearing's Hill House and images of the completed building c1883.
Multiple newspaper cuttings with correspondance between Gearing & Co. and commissioners relating to shipping matters and Land Renters meetings. Hand written minutes from meetings concerning matters including the use of funds in the Chinkiang concession. Treaty rights of British subjects, local opposition to British rights and ownership of land.
A report of the riot at Chinkiang as reported in the North China Herald on 8th February, 1889.
Condition: Photographs are pasted into album. Varying degrees of discolouration, some small tears and surface damage to some images. Creasing and rippling due to pasting and some paste bleed through.
Generally, the definition and quality of the scenes are very good and the album contains high quality work by competent photographers.
Provenance: Vendor is Great Granddaughter of J. G. W. Gearing
Literature: Terry Bennett-History of Photography in China, Western Photographers 1861-1879. www.roomfordiplomacy.com
Sold for £10,250
Result including buyers premium
Album containing rare (possibly Unique) views in the Treaty Port of Chinkiang (Zhenjiang) on the Yangtze River.
Album 15 x 11 1/2 inchs (380mm x 292mm) green cloth with red leather half binding. Spine missing and wear to boards. Label on front endpaper "TIEN SHING, BOOK BINDER, STATIONER AND PRINTER. HONAN ROAD No277, SHANGHAI".
82 albumen prints approx. 8 x 10 inch
11 albumen prints 3 1/2 x 5 inch
2 panoramas all China
55 albumen prints in Aden, Egypt, Somalia, Japan and Channel Islands
Included with a scrap book 12 x 14 inch hard bound, cloth covered.
The concession are at Chinkiang was divided into 19 lots in 1861. It lies along about 500 yards of bund on the south bank of the Yangtze River. The British Consulate was originally part of a Buddhist temple. In 1871, funds became available to construct a permanent building. In 1873, a two storey Consul's house and constable's quarters were built.The Consular buildings were burned and looted during a riot in February 1889, forcing the Consulate to move to a large foreign house temporarily. The Consulate was rebuilt in 1890.
The album was the property of John George Whitford Gearing, an agent in Chinkiang, his company listed as Gearing & Co. in the Chronicle and Directory for China, Japan, the Philipines and Hong Kong. He was also on the committee of the Land Renters Council in the British Concession of Chinkiang.
The album contains images in the Chinkiang area, showing the Customs House, dignatories houses with residents and staff, including Gearing himself.
Views on the outskirts showing local people and scenes. Rare images of the ruins of the British Consulate after the riot of 1889, including a two piece panorama with local residents looking on.
Views of Silver Island, Golden Island, Soochow and Nanking, including 2 images showing the interior of the Nanking Arsenal Workshop.
1 photograph is inscribed "Griffith" in the negative. David Knox Griffith, a British commercial photographer, listed as working in Shanghai from 1872. Griffith photographed the upper reaches of the Yangtze, which he described in a letter he wrote to Dr. Halliday Macartney on 17th July 1873. Macartney was a close advisor to a powerful Chinese Statesman, Li Hungzhang who was in charge of the Nanking arsenal. Griffith produced an album of views of the area, including Silver Island and foreign settlements which was mentioned in the North China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, 6th June, 1874.
1 image is labelled "H. C. Cammidge". Henry Cammidge, a photographer working in Shanghai from 1866-1874.
7 images are framed in the style of William Saunders. William Saunders is mentioned with Gearing in the Masonic periodical, The Freemason, 21st March 1874. Page 174 concerning the setting up of Doric Lodge no 1433.
The scrapbook holds the plans for Gearing's Hill House and images of the completed building c1883.
Multiple newspaper cuttings with correspondance between Gearing & Co. and commissioners relating to shipping matters and Land Renters meetings. Hand written minutes from meetings concerning matters including the use of funds in the Chinkiang concession. Treaty rights of British subjects, local opposition to British rights and ownership of land.
A report of the riot at Chinkiang as reported in the North China Herald on 8th February, 1889.
Condition: Photographs are pasted into album. Varying degrees of discolouration, some small tears and surface damage to some images. Creasing and rippling due to pasting and some paste bleed through.
Generally, the definition and quality of the scenes are very good and the album contains high quality work by competent photographers.
Provenance: Vendor is Great Granddaughter of J. G. W. Gearing
Literature: Terry Bennett-History of Photography in China, Western Photographers 1861-1879. www.roomfordiplomacy.com
Auction: Photographs & Optical Toys, 9th Jan, 2024
