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Shanghae - One of the five ports opened by the late treaty to British Commerce
Shanghae - One of the five ports opened by the late treaty to British Commerce

Shanghae - One of the five ports opened by the late treaty to British Commerce

Artist (1809 - 1883)
Artist
Publisher
Date1847
Object number00003058
NameLithograph
MediumLithograph on paper
DimensionsOverall: 153 x 233 mm, 0.023 kg
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionThe Chinese port of Shanghae is depicted in this black and white lithograph. The city wall is visible along the water. It was one of five ports that were opened for foreign trade after the the First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanjing in 1842.HistoryPrior to 1842, the coastal town of Shanghae, or Shanghai, relied primarily on fishing and textiles as its main source of industry. In 1842, the Treaty of Nanjing was signed, marking the end of the Great Opium War between Britain and China. The Treaty, which ended hostilities, opened Shanghae up to international trade. Previously, British merchants had only been allowed to trade at Guangzhou (Canton), however this Treaty allowed them access to trade at 5 new ports. Shanghae established itself as a center for trade with the West and flourished as a result. Lithography, a printing process, began in Germany in the 1790s and then spread to Europe and America. Initially printers used black and white ink, however this changed to coloured ink as the process become more widely used. A nearly insatiable Western market for views of the Pearl River such as this lithograph was fuelled by the entrepreneurs who conducted business there, as well as their business partners and families, many of whom had never travelled to China but had heard marvellous tales about the land and its culture.SignificanceBefore photography, paintings and drawings of Macao, Canton and Hong Kong were the only illustrations of these exotic ports. These works depict unusual landscapes, walled cities and spectacular architecture, which helped to establish the Western vision of China as a land of silk, porcelain and tea.