Subject: Sailor
Date: The seller dates this to c.1867. The back of the card gives the photographer's name as Hung Cheong Shing, and their address as "Opposite Messrs. Lane, Crawford & Co's, No 32, Queen's Road Third Story". HOPIC lists the photographer at this address from 1879-1881 (see https://gwulo.com/node/31857), so the photo may have been taken c.1880.
Photographer: Hung Cheong Shing
Format: carte de visite
Photo courtesy of The Pottinger Hong Kong hotel.
Comments
Dating the British naval uniform
I am no naval historian, but love puzzles!
Interestingly, Kellogg's Corn Flakes had a series on British naval uniforms, and the one from 1870 looks close:
http://cerealoffers.com/Kelloggs/Cornflakes/1950s/British_Naval_Uniforms...
On the other hand, the uniform has seen only minor changes through the decades, from the 1820's boatswain, to the more modern 1A uniform:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Historical_uniforms_of_the_R...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniforms_of_the_Royal_Navy#/media/File:RN_...
The white hat may pin the date to the 1880's?
https://www.thebalancecareers.com/navy-uniform-history-4054148
Best,
傑倫
(Colin)
re: Dating the British naval uniform
Hi Colin,
Thanks for the links. Looks like his uniform isn't going to pin down the date so I'll stick with the photographer's address as the best clue for now. (That last link about the white hat is for the US Navy, so that's one to know about for a different photo.)
The marks on the sailor's sleeve are explained at http://www.victorianweb.org/history/navy/4.html, so the two stripes are for good conduct, and the anchor with a crown above shows he was a second class petty officer.
Regards, David