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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Handwriting Deciphering & Recognition => Topic started by: maddys52 on Monday 06 June 22 04:35 BST (UK)
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Hello Everyone,
Ruskie suggested I upload some more items for super sleuths, so here is another from my grandparents' photo collections. These 5 photos are obviously a set as they are the same size and have the same printer's stamp on the back. After the last thread I hesitate to suggest this is Europe, though I suspect it probably is. :) I'll put the first here and the following 4 in the next post.
Any guesses or suggestions as to where they may be would be and when they may have been taken most welcome.
Thanks all in advance.
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Additional photos
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And 2 more
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Ooo :) goody. ;D
The first thing I noticed in the first photo was the unusual ‘stepped’ topper on the tower on the left. Photo possibly taken from a hotel window as it’s quite a high viewpoint.
I’m not getting a country specific vibe for this series.
I’ll have a closer look and see if I can see any pointers. :)
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Ok, first guess without any proof whatsoever nor any similar images -:
Lake Geneva. :)
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Photo 1.
Those are very substantial buildings in a city - so not a Pacific Island this time. ;)
Some kind genius will come along hopefully, and lighten the first photos so we can see the decorative finishes more clearly.
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could it be Hong Kong?
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-m&ei=mr-dYu65C-WDhbIPr9iU4Ak&q=old+hong+kong&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwju7vnmuJj4AhXlQUEAHS8sBZwQ7Al6BAgFEAI&biw=900&bih=1144#imgrc=iq_EN238bEROIM
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could it be Hong Kong?
It could be the same stepped tower in the opening shot.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqgGjOz2d4
The old HSBC building.
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I think you're absolutely right. The stepped tower looks like the HSBC building ("Third Building") opened in 1935.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HSBC_Building_(Hong_Kong)
Thanks fiddlerslass - I'm obviously not well travelled enough!
Thanks too Ruskie and Neale. I probably swayed you Ruskie thinking of the last thread where I mentioned that my grandparents had travelled to Switzerland and surrounds. ;)
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I must confess, I am not well travelled either - thanks go to Mr Google!
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Nor me neither.
- but I also thought maybe Hong Kong - there was a larger photo of a scene in Hong Kong, on RC, some years ago, and these remind me of that.
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Well I never would have guessed HK. I couldn’t have got it more wrong if I’d tried. ;D
Glad it was found so quickly - well done fiddlerslass!
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This image looks as if it could be the domed building in picture 1.
It was taken in Pedder Street, old Hong Kong
Chris
https://gwulo.com/sites/gwulo.com/files/styles/extra-large__640x640_/public/2014/gwulo-ee061-2kpx.jpg?itok=ERuB2kQv
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Thanks all. I'll have to look for that previous thread Wiggy. ;)
Amazing buildings in old Hong Kong photos. Thanks for the potential id on the domed building Chris. Whilst similar, I don't think it's quite right. The windows on the top floor on my photo are in pairs, which isn't the case in the Pedder St one. Will keep looking.
Also trying to work out when my grandparents may have been to Hong Kong. I know my grandfather had a business trip to Osaka in the 1950s (I think, will do a bit of checking), I wonder if there would have been a stopover in HK then? I know they stopped in Jakarta on their way to Europe in 1952.
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A couple of photos from the 1950s of what I think is your unusual domed building. It is just left of centre in each photo. HSBC building is on the left in these views. Apparently on Des Voeux Rd, Hong Kong Central, banking district, I still have NOT found what the domed building was called.
Added. So i think your photo in the first post was taken on this street a little further on, looking back towards this area.
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Neale, Maddy’s photo looks to have been taken from a very high viewpoint (almost as high as the tower).
Looking at the photos you found, there doesn’t seem to be a suitable position where the photo could have been taken from.
Do you have any ideas? From the building with the flag atop the other dome perhaps? :-\
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That road is not straight. In the photos I posted, it goes off a little to the right. I think the building from where the photo was taken is not visible, as it is behind that other large building.
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Yes, that could be the case. :)
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I can't post the image here because I am not sure about copyright but this a similar view to the original. It's on Des Voeux Road. Still trying to ID the building.
https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/view-of-streetcars-travelling-down-des-voeux-road-in-hong-news-photo/514969678?adppopup=true
View from the other direction.
https://collections.lib.uwm.edu/digital/collection/agsphoto/id/16284/
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I think it's the Bank of Canton. See this page.
https://gwulo.com/atom/32984
1957 map
https://gwulo.com/atom/30421/zoom
More images here, including one showing the American Express sign which appears in the image linked in my previous post.
https://gwulo.com/node/7526/photos
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Yes, I agree with Bank of Canton. That is a good little 1957 map. :)
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One more view.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/131889665@N05/16662534037/in/photostream/
Now to sort out that peak view!
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Good photos keldon. :)
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I presume the cricket ground referred to is the HKCC ground in Chater Road, before it was moved to Wan Nai Chong Gap in the latish 1970s ?
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I think it's the Bank of Canton. See this page.
https://gwulo.com/atom/32984
1957 map
https://gwulo.com/atom/30421/zoom
More images here, including one showing the American Express sign which appears in the image linked in my previous post.
https://gwulo.com/node/7526/photos
Great sleuthing, keldon ;D
Well done!
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Thank you so much keldon! well done. :D
I might try to find an image of the Gloucester Hotel which appears on the 1957 map, I wonder if my photo was taken from there, as Ruskie suggested, maybe from a hotel?
I'm almost convinced these photos were taken around July 1950 as this is when my grandfather travelled to Osaka. I can't see any other trips in that direction in his photos.
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I think the building closest to the viewer is the Lane Crawford House. So the photo possibly taken from the Gloucester Hotel next door?
https://gwulo.com/atom/35251
(That map is so useful !)
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This one I think is taken from the old Murray Parade Ground. It appears to be St john's Cathedral in the background.
From almost the same direction and note the shape of the hills behind in this image (1873)
https://gwulo.com/atom/32743
More on this page
https://gwulo.com/node/2542/photos
and
https://gwulo.com/node/3702/photos
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Brilliant keldon! Thank you again :D
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I think this one is a view of Lammas Island from Hong Kong Island. This view here is from High West.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@22.2725077,114.1385266,3a,42.5y,107.23h,74.81t/data=!3m8!1e1!3m6!1sAF1QipPPVXBwc9dVo_CTWX_3N0Ak50lY1nrDP9Rw8GiP!2e10!3e11!6shttps:%2F%2Flh5.googleusercontent.com%2Fp%2FAF1QipPPVXBwc9dVo_CTWX_3N0Ak50lY1nrDP9Rw8GiP%3Dw203-h100-k-no-pi0-ya304.49835-ro-0-fo100!7i4096!8i2048?hl=en
A close up here
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3164437/hong-kong-chief-executive-hopeful-checkley-sin-proposes?module=perpetual_scroll_0&pgtype=article&campaign=3164437
The shape of the hills exactly match your image but I think your image was taken lower down the slopes because you cannot see the water behind the first bit of land. I'll try and find a view to confirm it.
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This is taken lower down and a little to the right of the original image.
https://droneandslr.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/pokfulam-reservoir-to-hku-14.jpg
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This one is taken from the same sort of area. The peak is Mount Kellett and the building on the left is variously described as the Royal Naval Hospital or the War Memorial Hospital.
This image said to be from 1954 is from a slightly different angle.
https://gwulo.com/atom/27277
More pictures here
https://gwulo.com/node/3686/photos
What do you think?
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I think you're absolutely correct for both! Great searching keldon, thank you so much. :D
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I think you're absolutely correct for both! Great searching keldon, thank you so much. :D
I enjoyed the challenge. I can't find the final view. There are similar ones but not with the same shape of the hills. It must have been on the same day when he had a trip out to Victoria Peak and the surrounding peaks and parks.
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You've done an amazing job, glad you enjoyed the challenge. Thank you again!