The Bay and Island of Hong Kong
ArtistAfter
Piqua
Artist
Benjamin Clayton
(1809 - 1883)
Publisher
Dean & Co. Threadneedle Street
Date1847
Object number00003060
NameLithograph
MediumLithograph on paper
Dimensions153 x 233 mm, 0.023 kg
Image: 115 x 178 mm
Image: 115 x 178 mm
ClassificationsArt
Credit LineANMM Collection
Purchased with USA Bicentennial Gift funds
DescriptionThe bay and island of Hong Kong is shown in this black and white lithograph depicting a small shrub covered hill. It was taken from an original painting by Piqua and drawn by B Clayton.HistoryThe Island now known as Hong Kong became formally known as Hong Kong after the Treaty of Nanking in 1842. Following the First Opium War between China and Britain, and the occupation of the Island by British Forces in 1841, China ceded possession of the Island to the British. The British established a formal colony a year later.
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.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.
