Paintings

An early painting of Hong Kong painted in the 1840s possibly in one of the earliest artists' studios in Hong Kong. The view shows ships in the harbour and the town of Victoria beginning to develop at the foot of the Peak.

The British arrived in Hong Kong in January 1841 and the first land sales were in June. Building started almost immediately and by 1846 there were some beautiful colonial buildings established along with a system of roads. To the left of this picture is East Point and the buildings of Jardine Matheson. To the right of this is Spring Gardens and Kellett Island. The largest buidings on the waterfront below The Peak are those of Dent & Co. and Lindsay. St John's Cathedral which was built in 1849 does not appear.

For a similar gouache painting by Tingqua, in the Peabody Museum of Salem, see Crossman page 416.

Reference:

Crossman, Carl L. The Decorative Arts of the China Trade Page 416.18

Brewington, M.V. & Dorothy   Marine Paintings and Drawings in The Peabody Museum 1981 after page 96 colour plate 364.