Hong Kong: a sedan chair at the foot of the Peak. Photograph by John Thomson, 1868/1871.

View from the east. Sedan-chair men and man with parasol in foreground, behind them buildings at the foot of the Peak

Sedan chair in Hong Kong, 1868-71. Until the introduction of the rickshaw in 1870, the sedan chair was the only form of public conveyance in Hong Kong. There were chair stands outside hotels, at major crossroads and by the wharfs. Public chairs were licensed and charged according to tariffs that were prominently displayed. The majority of chairs were kept fairly clean and in good condition, and the sturdy bearers would clamour for the favour of a client's regular patronage. Private chairs existed too, obvious markers of wealth and status. Even after the appearance of the rickshaw, the sedan chair continued to be one of the most popular modes of transportation, since it was more suitable for the steep terrain of Hong Kong Island. In 1920 the number of sedan chairs peaked: about 1,215 registered ones were on the road. It was not until 1965 that the last sedan chair was reportedly abandoned there

1868/1871.

1 photograph : glass photonegative, wet collodion ; glass approximately 25.5 x 30.5 cm (10 x 12 in.)

Signed Bears Thomson's negative number: "11"

This is one of a collection of original glass negatives made by John Thomson. The negatives, made between 1868 and 1872, were purchased from Thomson by Sir Henry Wellcome in 1921

John Thomson, Illustrations of China and its people, London 1873/4, vol I, pl. IV, "Sedan-chair carriers". Only the area of the negative immediately around the sedan chair men is reproduced in the book

China through the lens of John Thomson, 1868-1872, Beijing: Beijing World Art Museum, 2009, p. 156 (reproduced)

Wellcome Collection 18656i