Author Topic: Where was this photo taken?  (Read 1293 times)

Offline seemex

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 347
    • View Profile
Where was this photo taken?
« on: Sunday 14 December 14 22:27 GMT (UK) »
What I know is that this photo was taken in Asia...likely near Hong Kong and the approximate year would be between 1917 and 1922. My mother and grandmother are in the photo. My mother was born in 1911 in Hong Kong and appears to be about 7 years old in this photo. The family moved from Hong Kong, up to Shanghai sometime about 1918-1922 so this photo could have been nearer to Shanghai although from what I've been told, there are no mountains close to Shanghai. Also, the dress of the spectators in the photo is more tropical, men with pith helmets and light colored suits; women with large hats.
  Whatever the event taking place, it was being documented and filmed by at least two if not three movie cameras set up on large tripods along the banks of the canal. The right bank crowd appears to be largely made up of Caucasian spectators whereas the left bank has more Asians. There is a footbridge at the farthest end of the canal and there looks to be a small set of waterfalls near the bridge with bathers sitting or swimming on them. There is one girl swimming in the lower right corner of this picture. There is also a slight view of some thatched structures on the right side and large houses or structures on the hills in the background. There seems to be a patch on the hill which could be a landslide area, or maybe a clearing, but could also be smoke rising somewhere in the distance; its difficult to tell. Any ideas at all would be sincerely appreciated. I have a larger resolution copy that I can send to anyone who thinks it will help but this site doesn't allow it to be posted so I will use what I can for now.
Thanks to all
Hunter, Southam Thomson, White, Cock, Beesley

Offline aghadowey

  • RootsChat Honorary
  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 51,235
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #1 on: Monday 15 December 14 08:40 GMT (UK) »
Could they be spectatots at a Dragon Boat Race? See figure #11-
http://www.lange.demon.co.uk/Castle_Falkenstein/Scenarios/OutHK/OutHK_Chapter_1.html
Away sorting out DNA matches... I may be gone for some time many years!

Offline jim1

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 24,428
  • ain't life grand
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #2 on: Monday 15 December 14 10:40 GMT (UK) »
There appears to be a variety of cloche hats which makes it the 1920's.
Some of the spectators look very dark skinned, too dark to be Chinese.
Warks:Ashford;Cadby;Clarke;Clifford;Cooke Copage;Easthope;
Edmonds;Felton;Colledge;Lutwyche;Mander(s);May;Poole;Withers.
Staffs.Edmonds;Addison;Duffield;Webb;Fisher;Archer
Salop:Easthope,Eddowes,Hoorde,Oteley,Vernon,Talbot,De Neville.
Notts.Clarke;Redfearne;Treece.
Som.May;Perriman;Cox
India Kane;Felton;Cadby
London.Haysom.
Lancs.Gay.
Worcs.Coley;Mander;Sawyer.
Kings of Wessex & Scotland
Census information is Crown copyright,from
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Offline still_looking

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 782
  • Census information Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #3 on: Monday 15 December 14 13:28 GMT (UK) »
India or Ceylon perhaps? Thinking that the terracing on the hill in the background could be a tea plantation.

S_L


Offline jim1

  • RootsChat Marquessate
  • *******
  • Posts: 24,428
  • ain't life grand
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #4 on: Monday 15 December 14 15:04 GMT (UK) »
The building on the right is thatched so not HK.
Warks:Ashford;Cadby;Clarke;Clifford;Cooke Copage;Easthope;
Edmonds;Felton;Colledge;Lutwyche;Mander(s);May;Poole;Withers.
Staffs.Edmonds;Addison;Duffield;Webb;Fisher;Archer
Salop:Easthope,Eddowes,Hoorde,Oteley,Vernon,Talbot,De Neville.
Notts.Clarke;Redfearne;Treece.
Som.May;Perriman;Cox
India Kane;Felton;Cadby
London.Haysom.
Lancs.Gay.
Worcs.Coley;Mander;Sawyer.
Kings of Wessex & Scotland
Census information is Crown copyright,from
www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

Offline seemex

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 347
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #5 on: Monday 15 December 14 16:34 GMT (UK) »
I wonder if it could have been in Malaya. My family did have interests in the rubber business and my GF eventually represented two rubber estates...Sungala Rubber and Ayer Tawah Rubber but that was much later on. They were either KL or Penang area. In the early Hong Kong days I don't think they would have been prosperous enough for any extended travels, but maybe were able to travel through my GF's work? If so, I have several other photos, so maybe they might correspond to this one. Anyway, this photo is definitely some sort of swimming event, and it was being filmed. I'm sure of the time frame as I can see my mother and her sister as small children in the picture, so the 1917-22 period would be correct.
I've added three more photos that may have been taken nearby or at the same time. There are definitely other Caucasian children in the photo of the kids but the other people in some of the photos do look to be Malay or at least, other than Chinese. A location in Malaya is starting to feel more likely now. I wonder if anyone might be able to confirm that?
Hunter, Southam Thomson, White, Cock, Beesley

Offline purlin

  • RootsChat Veteran
  • *****
  • Posts: 745
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #6 on: Monday 15 December 14 17:19 GMT (UK) »
There is at least one canal in Penang the Pangolin Canal.  It used to be a river flowing into the sea close to George Town.  Perhaps the mountain/hill in the distance is the Penang Hill.  Could the smoke be from a Steam Locomotive.
Crosbie, Crosby, Black, Woods, Johnstone, Kelly, Howatt, McMillan, Wauchope Scott, Smith, Gibbons, Roberts, Hildred, Jones, Hughes. Curran, Palmer. Hughes, Jones, Wilcox, wilbraham, owen
Liverpool, Dumfriesshire, Kirkudbrightshire, Cheshire, Flintshire, llanrwst, trefriw, Lincolnshire, America, Canada, New Zealand.

Offline seemex

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 347
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #7 on: Monday 15 December 14 18:12 GMT (UK) »
There is at least one canal in Penang the Pangolin Canal.  It used to be a river flowing into the sea close to George Town.  Perhaps the mountain/hill in the distance is the Penang Hill.  Could the smoke be from a Steam Locomotive.

I have never been to the orient so I am researching solely by photos and other people's advice. I just looked at the Google Earth view of Georgetown, Penang area and it does look very much like the terrain and also it would explain the more tropical attire of the spectators in my original photo. I think you are correct the more I look at it. I will try to find other photos of the area from that era and of the canal. The stonework along the canal edges looks very much like what is there today.
I think I will concentrate on Malaya now as it feels like a solid lead.
Hunter, Southam Thomson, White, Cock, Beesley

Offline seemex

  • RootsChat Senior
  • ****
  • Posts: 347
    • View Profile
Re: Where was this photo taken?
« Reply #8 on: Monday 23 April 18 05:18 BST (UK) »
I'm now certain that the photo with the swimmers is taken at "Kuling" which I understand was a popular place to escape the heat of Shanghai in the summer.  I discovered other photos on the University of Bristol website that show this same location. The mountain in the background also match well. I won't put the photos from U of B on here as I don't want to infringe on any rights.
I'm not sure if the other photos were from the same trip, but there is some thatched style structures in the photo, so could be.
Brian
Hunter, Southam Thomson, White, Cock, Beesley