14th Nov, 2025 11:00
Asian Art & Antiques
Sold for £1,300
Four large black and white photographs including three group portraits taken for Sir Robert Hart’s 70th birthday, dated 1905, by S. Yamamoto, Peking, and another portrait by Tung-Fong Studio, Keerin (Jilin)
The first three photographs depict formal group portraits of foreign and Chinese officials seated in front of official buildings, taken in February 1905 to commemorate Sir Robert Hart’s 70th birthday. Handwritten notes to the reverse identify Sir Robert Hart at the centre and Sir Robert Bredon in the seat of honour. Each photograph is mounted on a grey card with embossed border and the photographer’s printed signature S. Yamamoto, Peking (山本讃七郎攝). These images provide a valuable visual record of the late Qing period foreign service community in Beijing, particularly the senior staff of the Imperial Maritime Customs.
The fourth photograph, bearing the mark Tung-Fong Photographer, Keerin (同芳照相館，吉林), shows a Western couple and a Chinese attendant posing in a garden, possibly dating to the early 20th century.
Each photograph approx. 26.7 x 20.5cm; frame 40 x 31cm. Together with three additional written or printed documents.
1905年 山本讚七郎攝《賀賀禮德爵士七十壽辰合影》及《同芳照相館人物照》黑白照片四幀
前三幅為1905年2月為賀賀禮德爵士七十壽辰所攝之外國官員及清廷官員合影，背有手寫註記，指明賀禮德爵士居中，副署關稅總稽查布雷登爵士坐於尊席。灰卡紙裱框，邊飾浮雕紋，署名「S. Yamamoto, Peking（山本讚七郎攝）」，為研究清末駐京外籍官員與海關制度之珍貴圖像資料。
第四幅印「同芳照相館」款，攝於吉林，畫面為一對西方夫婦與一名中國侍者於花園中合影，應為二十世紀初期作品。
照片尺寸約26.7 x 20.5厘米；框尺寸40 x 31厘米。另有三份手寫或印刷信件
Notes:
Sir Robert Hart (1835–1911) was the long-serving Inspector-General of the Imperial Maritime Customs Service of China from 1863 to 1911. An Irish-born diplomat and administrator, he played a crucial role in modernising China’s customs system and facilitating international trade during the late Qing period. His influence extended into diplomacy and education, earning him the title of baronet in 1893.
The photographer Sanshichiro Yamamoto (山本讃七郎, 1855–1943) was one of the most prominent early Japanese photographers active in China. He established studios in Beijing and Tianjin around the turn of the 20th century and was known for his formal portraits of diplomats, missionaries, and Chinese officials, capturing key figures in the late Qing and early Republican periods. His works are now regarded as important historical documentation of Sino-foreign relations in Beijing.
The three group portraits by Yamamoto are of significant historical importance, offering rare visual testimony of Sir Robert Hart’s international network and the presence of the Chinese Maritime Customs Service in the late Qing era. The inclusion of a photograph from Tung-Fong Studio, Keerin (同芳照相館) further illustrates the spread of early professional photography in northeast China during the same period.
註釋：
賀禮德爵士（Sir Robert Hart, 1835–1911）為清朝海關總稽查，任職自1863年至1911年，為清末最具影響力之外籍官員之一。生於愛爾蘭，對中國近代稅制、外交及教育現代化貢獻良多，於1893年獲封從男爵。
攝影師山本讚七郎（Sanshichiro Yamamoto, 1855–1943）為近代日本著名攝影師之一，於十九世紀末至二十世紀初活躍於北京及天津，專攝外交官、傳教士與清廷官員肖像，記錄晚清與民初中外交往之珍貴影像。
此三幀賀禮德壽辰合影為極具史料價值之照片，展現清末海關體系與駐華外籍官員之面貌。另附同芳照相館作品一幀，反映同時期東北地區攝影業發展狀況。
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