Afong

c.1859 - 1940

Afong was one of the first Chinese photographers to set up a studio in Hong Kong The notable Scottish photographer, John Thomson, held Afong in high regard and complimented him on his work. The business was probably taken over by his son in the 1890s. They took photographs of Hong Kong, Canton, Macau and Shanghai. In the studio they also took portraits. In the 1910 Hong Kong Directory and Chronicle A Fong's Photo Studio was at 31, Queen's Road Central, above Watkin's Dispensary. A Fong, photographer, H.A. Rosario, managing clerk.

click to see related work

Antonio, J.

1894 - 1912

J. Antonio was a commercial photographer working in Thailand from 1894 - 1912. He was proprietor of the Charoen Krung Photographic Studio in Bangkok. The Traveller's Guide to Bangkok and Siam was first published in 1904 by J. Antonio, one of the prominent photographers of King Chulalongkorn’s Reign, as a reliable guidebook suitable for the use of travelers. It contained a wealth of information not available in other guidebooks of the time. In particular it gives practical information for the traveler. J. Antonio’s keen interest in ordinary people is reflected, both in the text and in the photographs in this book, giving us an insight into how the man in the street went about making a living and enjoying himself. J. Antonio also discusses and photographs a number of provinces that are within easy reach of Bangkok.

click to see related work

Beato, Felice

c.1853 - 1906

Felice Beato was born in Italy in 1825. He became an accomplished photographer and traveled widely. He arrived in China in 1860 with the British expeditionary force. He took some of the earliest panoramic photographs of Hong Kong and Kowloon. He traveled to Peking and took numerous photographs of the war. One of his most famous pictures was of the Summer Palace before it was burnt down.

click to see related work

Griffith, D. K.

c.1872 - 1897

The commercial photographer D. K. Griffith first appears in China working for W. Saunders in Shanghai from 1872 -1875. In 1880 he was in Hong Kong working as an assistant in the studio of Afong. He set up and ran his own studio in Hong Kong from 1887 - 1897.

click to see related work

Hurley, R. C.

c.1879 - 1925

R.C. Hurley was a photographer and publisher. He arrived in Hong Kong on 14th March 1879. As a photographer he produced some attractive publications with pasted -in small albumen prints. These include, Sixty Diamond Jubilee Photographs of Hong Kong in 1897, Sixty Pictures of Canton in 1899 and The Far-East - Sixty Pictures - Hong Kong, Canton, Macao, Shanghai, Peking in c.1905.

He also wrote two books which were, Handbook to the British Crown Colony of Hong Kong and Dependencies. Published by Kelly and Walsh Limited, Hong Kong in 1920. Picturesque Hong Kong, A British Crown Colony and Dependencies. Fully illustrated (76 views) with maps and plans etc. Published by the Commercial Press Limited, Hong Kong in 1925.

click to see related work

Lambert & Co.

c.1867 - 1918

Gustave Richard Lambert was born in Berlin in 1846. He opened a photographic studio in Singapore in 1867. Between 1870 -1877 he was operating a studio in Woerden, Holland. He returned to Singapore and opened a studio at 30 Orchard Road. Although he left Singapore in about 1886 the firm continued until c.1918.

click to see related work

Mee Cheung

c.1890 - 1935

Mee Cheung was a commercial photographer who was active 1890s - 1930s in Hong Kong. He advertised himself as a "High Class Photographer". He was known to have taken small snapshot format pictures. These were often views commissioned for documentary purposes.

Messrs Mee Cheung & Co. of Ice House Lane, Hong Kong who executed a contract for Lloyd's Greater Britain Publishing Company in a manner that gave every satisfaction, are one of the oldest photographic firms in the Colony. They undertake all classes of work and make a special feature of enlargement and bromide work. They stock a large number of views of the neighbourhood of South China, besides cameras, films, and printing papers of all kinds. There is a special department for developing and printing for amateurs. The manager Mr w. Chong Kai, is a capable photographic artist. The assistant manager, Mr Y. Johnson, who has been with the firm since it was first started has had experience in the United States. About thirty hands are employed at the head office, and a new depot was opened recently at No. 8, Beaconsfield Arcade, chiefly for the sale of photographic stores for amateurs. In 1904 the firm obtained a bronze medal from the St Loius Universal Exposition and in 1906 they were awarded a silver medal at the Hong Kong Exhibition held at the City Hall. On the occasion of the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught to the Colony, the royal party were photographed by Messrs. Mee Cheung, and copies of the photographs, forwarded to their Royal Highnesses, were cordially acknowledged in a letter to the firm.

Reference: Twentieth Century Impressions of Hong Kong, Shanghai and Other Treaty Ports of China: Their History, People, Commerce, Industries and Resources. Page 234.

click to see related work

Miller, Milton

1830 - 1899

Marshall Milton Miller was one of the earliest American photographers working in Canton and Hong Kong. Little was known about him until recent research has provided us with more details.

The American photographer Milton Miller commenced working in San Francisco in 1856. He arrived in Hong Kong in 1860. He was working in Hong Kong and Canton from 1861 - 1864. Miller appears to have had a studio in Canton prior to 19th September 1861. At that date an advert in "The Friend of China and Hong Kong Gazette" appeared asking for assistance in recovering a box of negatives stolen from his premesis in Canton.

He is known to have taken some of the earliest photographs in Hong Kong.

click to see related work

Pryor Floyd, William

c.1867 - 1874

In 1868 William Prior Floyd took over a photographic company in Hong Kong known as The Firm. It was not in fact a firm but a collection of photographic negatives that had been put together since 1859 by various photographers. These included Weed, Howard, Beato, Miller, Thomson and Halsey. Floyd & Co. were at 62 Queen's Road at the Victoria Photographic Company. W.P. Floyd sold his company in 1874.

Reference:

Hacker, Arthur and Wattis Fine Art   Hong Kong, A rare photographic record of the 1860s.   1997

click to see related work