Books

Softback, first edition, 1997.

Hardback, second edition, 1997.

Designed and written by by Arthur Hacker. Published by Wattis Fine Art. Photographs collected by Jonathan & Vicky Wattis. Printed by Printer's Circle, Hong Kong. 

Lord Palmerston called Hong Kong "A barren island with hardly a house upon it. "The photographs in this book, which were taken twenty years after Hong Kong first became a British colony, show how the territory was already beginning to flourish in the 1860's. These superb pictures represent some of the finest example of the first decade of photography in Hong Kong. Unlike most of the old photographs of the former British colony, the pictures are not spread over a long period of time, but concentrate on a single decade, thus recording for posterity a brief moment in time. This gives the reader a genuine feeling of what Hong Kong was like a hundred and thirty odd years ago, with its wild empty hills and strange, often eccentric, colonial architecture. The exact locations of the photographs have been painstakingly identified and the history of the buildings, the legends, and a large amount of trivia make this book a joy to read.

"A new book of rare 1860s photographs...likely to make those with even the longest memories stare... Most are in fine condition with only the panoramas yellowing to show their age. The captions explain the location and give its - sometimes colourful or amusing - history." Elizabeth Tracey "South China Morning Post"

"This book is worth having for the photographs alone - some surprisingly fine early fine early photographers apparently made their way out east - but the real joy for me is Arthur's commentary en face. Here we are introduced to Hacker the critic of architecture, antique and contemporary." Robin Lynam "The Correspondent".

Arthur Hacker, author and artist, has lived in Hong Kong for thirty years. Wattis Fine Art has established a reputation as Hong Kong's leading art gallery specializing in antique photographs, maps, prints and paintings relating to the history of Hong Kong.

This book was a best seller in Hong Kong in 1997.