| Description | The Historical Photographs of China (HPC) Project was created at the University of Bristol by Professor Robert Bickers and Jamie Carstairs in February 2006. The project borrowed contributors’ photographs taken in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, mostly between the 1850s and 1950s, often in albums which were generally family heirlooms. The individual photographs in albums were digitised, along with whole pages of albums, and the physical material usually returned to its owners. By licence agreement with owners, digital images were added to the project’s fully searchable web site (https://www.hpcbristol.net/). The project also digitised photographs held in archives and museums, such as the National Archives, Special Collections SOAS, and the Cadbury Research Library. The low-resolution images on the Historical Photographs of China web site are available to be downloaded, on an open access basis (creative commons licence). Although the date range of the HPC web site is 1850s to 1950s, the project collected photographic material from the 1960s-1980s, and even more recently.
China’s twentieth century was destructive, causing loss of the country’s built heritage and of records. Surviving photographs have greater value than might be the case elsewhere, as records of the lost built environment and long-gone ways of life. Research by the HPC team (with knowledge of thousands of images), helped identify people and locations, make connections, and enhance the significance of the material.
From 2007, the HPC project was recognised by the British Academy as an Academy Research Project. The HPC project ended in April 2021 and its digital and physical holdings were transferred to Special Collections. The project’s blog site, ‘Visualising China’ (https://visualisingchina.net/blog/), remains active.
Over 62,000 high-resolution digital images (tiff format) – of photographs, negatives, 35mm transparencies (slides) magic lantern slides and post cards digitised by the HPC project – are now held by Special Collections. Low-resolution jpegs made from these tiffs are also held. 24,946 images have been published (as on 28 October 2024), along with associated metadata, on the Historical Photographs of China website (https://www.hpcbristol.net/).
Historical Photographs of China collections were usually named after the collections’ original compilers or the owners of the original physical collections. In addition to the digital images, Special Collections also hold photograph albums, loose prints, negatives, slides, books, cameras and ephemera, donated to, or acquired by, the HPC project, between 2006 and 2021.
The Historical Photographs of China collections are listed below, with the relevant Special Collections DM archival reference in square brackets if the physical material is held by Special Collections. Unless specified below, all of these collections were digitised and digital images are available on request. In this list, the collection names are sorted alphabetically.
The Historical Photographs of China collections are:
A
Abe Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Alejandro Acin Collection [DM2817]
Julius Amschel Collection [DM3112] (Not digitised)
Colin Andrew Collection [DM2818]
Augustus Anthony Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John Arber Collection [DM2985]
William Armstrong Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
George Atchison Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Leslie Ayre Collection
B
Ernest Baggs Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Banister Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Oliver Barnham Collection
Leslie Bauld Collection [DM2866]
Arthur Bayley Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Charles Beale Collection [DM2819]
Florence Beales Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Pearl Bertch Collection [DM2820] (Only the album pages were digitised)
Stella Bills Collection
Kenneth Bonner Collection [DM2821] (Not digitised)
Arthur Bonsey Collection
Edward Bowra Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
British Steel Archive Project Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
C
Cadbury Research Library Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Cameron Family Collection
John Cameron Collection [DM2822] (Not digitised)
Gordon Campbell Collection
Frederick Carey Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Carrall Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Jamie Carstairs Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Joyce Chatterton Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Anthony Clark Collection [DM2986]
Walter Clennell Collection
William Cooper Collection [DM2823] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Albert Cornwall Collection [DM2824] (Not digitised)
Cottrell Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Thomas Crellin Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John Crowley Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Customs Service Staff Collection
D
Charles Darwent Collection [DM3229/2] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Francis Davidson Collection [DM2825] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
James Dearden Holmes Collection
Helen Dhoot Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John DiBlasi Collection [DM3201]
Leo Dudeney Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Fred Dunne Collection [DM2826]
E
Ernest Edinger Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Sidney Edwards Collection
Elliott Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Jack Ephgrave Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
David Evans Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
F
Arthur Fiddament Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John Gurney Fry Collection [DM2887] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Fu Bingchang Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Martin Funnell Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
G
Berkeley Gage Collection [DM2827] (Not digitised)
Geoffrey Gawler Collection
Glasgow Police Heritage Society Collection
William Grant Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Alice Green Collection [DM2988]
Arthur Greenwood Collection
H
F. Hagger Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Leo Handley-Derry Collection [DM2828]
Lucy Harris Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Geoffrey Havilland Collection [DM2989]
Hayward Family Collection [DM3229/1] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Tita and Gerry Hayward Collection [DM2830] (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Reginald Hedgeland Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
James Helbling Collection [DM2829]
David Marr Henderson Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Hillier Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
‘Hilly Hong Kong’ [DM3187]
HMS Suffolk Collection [DM3110] (Not digitised)
Felix Hookham Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Thomas Hughes Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Oliver Hulme Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Hummel Family Collection [DM3210] (Not digitised)
Basil Hunting (Harleston) Collection [DM3109] (Not digitised)
Hutchinson Family Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Leslie Hutton Collection
George Hutton Potts Collection [DM2831] (Mostly not digitised) (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
I
Images from Books Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
J
Eric Jacobs-Larkcom Collection
Thomas Johns Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
George Johnson Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
George Noel Johnston Collection [DM2832] (Not digitised)
K
Paul Kaye Collection [DM2990] (Not digitised)
Kelsey Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Robert Kennedy Collection [DM2991]
Kiki de Chaffoy Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Edward Kingsbury Collection
Cecil Kirke Collection
John (Jack) Kitto Collection
Nicholas Kitto Treaty Port Image Collection [DM3051]
W.J.C. Kitto Collection
Peter Klein Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Kliene Family Collection
Ronald Knapp Collection [DM2992] (Not digitised)
Knight Family Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
King’s Own Scottish Borderers Collection
L
Archibald Lang Collection [DM2833] (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Joy Larkcom Collection [DM3195]
Michael Lindsay Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Liu Haiyan Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Oliver Lockhart Collection
Helena Lopes Collection
Billie Love Historical Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John Lyle Collection [DM2993] (Not digitised)
M
Arthur Martin Collection [DM2994]
John Masson Collection
Maxwell Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Hedley Mellor Collection
Penny Mellor Collection [DM2834] (Not digitised)
Miscellaneous Collection [DM2835] ( A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Eleanor Mitchell Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John Montgomery Collection [DM2836] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Ian and Rachel Morrison Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
James Morrison Collection
N
National Archives Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Lesley Northup Collection [DM2837] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
O
John Oswald Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
P
P.A. Crush Chinese Railway Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Attwell Palmer Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Panoramic photograph of Shanghai Bund [DM3228] (Not digitised)
Pardoe Family Collection
Herbert Payne Collection
Harold Peck Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Robert Peck Collection [DM2838] (Not digitised)
Ann Phipps Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Emerita Pilgrim Collection
Pirkis Family Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Cornell Plant Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Charles Powell Collection [DM2839]
R
Richard Family Collection [DM2840] (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Gordon Richards Collection [DM2841] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Edward Rigby Collection
Malcolm Rosholt Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Cyril Ross Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Royal Asiatic Society Collection
Royal Hampshire Regiment Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Henry Rue Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Ruxton Family Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
S
Ranjit Singh Sanga Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
William Sangster Collection [DM2995]
Brian Schara Collection
John Shackford Collection
Shaji Massacre 1925 Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John Sinton Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Smedley Howell Family Collection
Sydney Smith Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Stanfield Family Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
William Stanton Collection
James Steen Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Dennis Stevens Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Arthur Stiles Collection [DM2996]
Leonard Street Collection [DM2842]
John Sullivan Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
G. Warren Swire Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
T
George Tarr Collection
Edgar Taylor Collection [DM1973] (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
John Thompson Collection
Tianjin Post Cards Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Maurice Tinkler Collection [DM2997]
Forbes Scott Tocher Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Charles Todd Collection
Tours Family Collection
Frank Tovey Collection [DM2843]
George Trobridge Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
U
University of Bristol Library Collection [DM2520] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
V
Vacher Hilditch Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Leon Verbert Collection
Gilbert Vinden Collection (A selection of these images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
W
Barney Wall Collection [DM2844]
Mark Walport Collection
Warship Row, Shanghai, 1937 [DM3113] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Angela West Collection [DM3111] (Not digitised)
Charles Wheeler Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Cyril Whitaker Collection [DM2845]
Richard Whiteside Collection
Edward Wilkinson Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Jim Williams Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Stephen Wood Collection
Albert Worwood Collection
Stanley Wyatt-Smith Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Y
Yangtse Corporation Collection [DM2998] (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Sir Cyril Young Collection [DM2846]
Stewart Young Collection (These images are on the Historical Photographs of China website)
Z
Zhao mausoleum, Shenyang [DM3131] (This image is on the Historical Photographs of China website). |