1920s Hong Kong photo album

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Submitted by David on Sun, 2017-11-12 22:30

Thanks to Jan Schultheiss, who has been uploading photos that his grandfather, P. Marks, took in the 1920s. Mr Marks worked in the Hong Kong branch of a Dutch bank, the Nederlandsch-Indische Handelsbank, but in his free time he was a keen amateur photographer.

Many of his photos show views that are new to me. So, although I've often seen this old gun near the upper entrance to the HKU campus:

... his is the first photo I've seen of the gun in its original condition, when it was installed in the Victoria Battery:

As another example, we already have photo with a distant view of this building, but this is the first close-up I've seen of Friston Cottage. It looks as though it belongs in the English countryside, but instead it stood at the western end of May Road.

He also captured a couple of the major events of the 1920s. This photo shows the fire that destroyed the North wing of the Hongkong Hotel:

And another shows the paper from the Dutch Club's barometer, where the dramatic drop in air pressure on the 18th of August records the great typhoon of 1923:

Please scroll down to see the full set of photos. You can click any photo to see a larger copy, and to read any notes and comments that have been added.

The Gwulo book shop is open for business!

The first book for sale is Patricia O'Sullivan's investigation into the histories of the Hong Kong Police Force, the Irish community in Hong Kong, and the life of working-class westerners. If you're interested in these topics, and especially in how they are interconnected, you'll enjoy this book:

Click here for more information, and to order your copy of Policing Hong Kong, An Irish History. We ship worldwide.

The Marks family's photos from the 1920s

Entrance to Tregunter Mansions

View from 2 Tregunter Mansions, November 1925

Netherlands Tennis Club Hong Kong 1920s

Netherlands Tennis Club Hong Kong in the 1920s

Netherlands Tennis Club Hong Kong 1920s

Interior of probably Dragon Lodge, Lugard Road

Interior Nederlandsch Indische Handelsbank (Dutch East Indies Trading Bank) 1920s

Unknown tower ca. 1925

Staff Dutch East-Indies Commercial Bank 1925/6

Staff Dutch East-Indies Commercial Bank 1919/20

Dutch East Indies Commercial Bank Dinner Party (back of photo)

Dutch East Indies Commercial Bank Dinner Party

Tai Tam Reservoir 1925

SS Tenyo Maru in Hong Kong harbour

Old wall in Kowloon 1925

Old wall in Kowloon, 1925

Old gun, November 1925

View to Kowloon from the funicular railway bridge on May Road

View from 2 Tregunter Mansions living room

Bowen Road, December 1925

51C & D, Conduit Road, IL 2260 [????-1962]

Farewell dinner Mr. Hamel (Dutch) 17 March 1921

Dutch East-Indies Commercial Bank Staff

Dutch Club Hong Kong

Official Arrival at Blake Pier in the 1920s

Bank of Canton

Chairs waiting at Pedder Street

Corner in the living room of 2 Tregunter Mansions

Tregunter Mansions 2, interior

Probably 2 Tregunter Mansions, Bedroom

Interior of Netherlands India Commercial Bank office

Tregunter Mansions 2 interior

Tregunter Mansions

Repulse Bay

Damaged house at Peak

Magasin Gap Road July 1926

Tregunter Mansions - Terrace

opaomaendekant.jpg

matshedhollclub.jpg

Lugard_Bonner_Piet.jpg

Tregunter_Kant_Marks.jpg

Gama_1926.jpg

Kowloon_Feb_1926.jpg

Straattooneeltje.jpg

ankie26.jpg

Tregunter_Kant_marks_2.jpg

Tjileboet_1927_1.jpg

Betere Chineesche woning.jpg

Chineesche woning in het bergland.jpg

schepen.jpg

quay.jpg

Chineesche straat.jpg

Chineesche straat 2.jpg

bay.jpg

ship_laundry.jpg

front1925.jpg

Rivier.jpg

HK Harbour View Panorama - part 1.jpg

HK Harbour View Panorama - part 2.jpg

HK View Ming Yuen Studio.jpg

HK Panorama View - Part 2.jpg

HK Panorama View - Part 1.jpg

HK memorial 2.jpg

HK memorial 3.jpg

HK Memorial.jpg

Photo Min Yen Studio - 14 Beaconsfield Arcade - HK.jpg

HK-standbeeld-Royal Theatre.jpg

Unknown view from a home

SS "China" in Hong Kong harbour

View to Kawloon

Guard of Honour Visit of HMS Tromp and HMS Hertog Hendrik (Dutch navy) April 1920

Commanders of HMS Tromp and HMS Hertog Hendrik (Dutch) inspect Guard of Honour - April 1920

Commanders of HMS Tromp and HMS Hertog Hendrik (Dutch navy) - April 1920

Commanders HMS Tromp and HMS Hertog Hendrik (Dutch Navy) - April 1920

Commanders of HMS Tromp and HMS Hertog Hendrik with Dutch Consul General, April 1920

Group of Dutch expats in 1923

Barometer Card from the Dutch Club showing typhoon Nr. 5 in 1923

Marriage of CJ Endert and JGA Schabeck / Schabeek (Dutch), 8 September 1923

Marriage of CJ Endert and JGA Schabeck (Dutch), 8 September 1923

My grandfather P. Marks

My grandparents P. Marks and M.G. Marks-Groot

View from Dragon Lodge

The Peak

Houses near to Dragon Lodge

Entrance to Dragon Lodge

Dragon Lodge

Dutch Club - 1924 Birthday Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands

Picnic Bay 1924

Dragon Lodge

harbour1925.jpg

Mid-levels

HK Panorama View - Part 3.jpg

Luginsland

Kant_en_Piet.jpg

building.jpg

Hallway of Tregunter Mansions

Peak Tram station at May Road

Tregunter Mansions 2 interior

View from Tregunter Mansions

Entrance to Tregunter Mansions

Interior of Tregunter Mansions

Peak Tram at May Road

Peak Tram station at May Road

Friston Cottage

Hong Kong Hotel on fire

DesVoeux_1926.png

PumpStation1926.png

ChineseTown1926.png

HappyValleyRacing1926.png

Chinese Wall Kowloon 1926

View from Tregunter Mansions

Netherlands Tennis Club Hong Kong in the 1920s

People on a tennis court, 23 January 1927

Group of (banking?) gentleman, January 1927

Tjileboet_1927_2.jpg

Tjileboet_1927_3.jpg

Tjileboet_1927_4.jpg

Tjileboet_1927_5.jpg

Around May Road

Thanks again to Jan for showing us these fascinating photos. If you can add information to any of these photos, please click the photo and leave a comment on its page.

Do you have any photos of old Hong Kong you'd like to share? Please click here for details of how to upload them to Gwulo.com: http://gwulo.com/node/2076

Gwulo book update: I signed off the last changes to the proofs on Tuesday, so now the printing and binding is out of my hands. I'll cross my fingers, clutch my lucky rabbit's foot, and light an extra stick of incense to hope that all goes well at the printer.

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