| Title |
Sir Henry Norman Far East collection, circa 1890 |
| Reference |
GBR/0115/Y302E |
| Creator |
Norman, Sir, Henry |
| Covering Dates |
circa 1890 |
| Extent and Medium |
30 images in 1 box; glass negative; Generally in fair condition. |
| Repository |
Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library |
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| Content and context |
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Norman was educated privately in France and at Harvard University, where he obtained his B.A. For several years he worked on the editorial staff of the Pall Mall Gazette and later joined the editorial staff of the News Chronicle, being appointed Assistant Editor of the latter in 1895. He retired from journalism in 1899. During this time he travelled widely in Canada and the United States and in Russia, Japan, China, Siam, Malaya and Central Asia. Much of the material included in the two volumes mentioned in the description was amassed during these tours. He was appointed Assistant Postmaster-General in 1910 and his interest in interantional communications led to a number of appointments related to wireless and telegraphy, among them Chairman of the War Office Committee on Wireless Telegraphy 1912, and Chairman of the Imperial Wireless Telegraphy Committee of 1920, the latter convened to draw up a complete wireless scheme for the Empire. He was Liberal M.P. for South Wolverhampton 1900-1910 and for Blackburn 1910-1923.
Among his publications are The preservation of Niagara Falls (1882), All the Russias (1902), and a play, Will no man understand (1934).
Original glass negatives measuring 164 x 122 mm by Sir Henry Norman. Some of the negatives are accompanied by handwritten captions. Views shown are of French Indo-China, China, Malaya, Siam, Korea and Japan.
Probably presented by Priscilla, Lady Norman.
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Access and Use
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Please cite as Cambridge University Library: Royal Commonwealth Society Library, Sir Henry Norman Far East collection, circa 1890, Y302E |
| Further information |
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Many of the photographs are reproduced in: Norman, Henry (1895), The people and politics of the Far East, London : T.F. Unwin. Page references are noted against each photograph record. Several of the Japan views probably appear in his The real Japan (1892), London : T.F. Unwin but this work has not been examined.
Indexed
This collection level description was entered by PJ using information from the original typescript catalogue.
Contact prints have been made of four of the photographs.
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| Index Terms |
| Asia |
| China |
| Indochina |
| Japan |
| Malaysia |
| Thailand |
| Vietnam |
| Norman, Sir Henry (1858-1939) Knight |
| RCS/Y302E contains: |
|
1
|
French sentry guarding the frontier between Tongking and China. Showing a French sentry standing on the hillside overlooking the small river marking the border between French and Chinese territory, with a village of thatched houses on the farther bank. Captioned in Norman (1895, p. 96.) France and China: watching the frontier.
Good condition.. |
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2
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At the gate of the Fort, Monkay. Showing a group of Europeans and a squad of Chinese soldiers standing at the entrance to the fort. The outer perimeter is composed of two fences of wooden posts, with an intervening space sown with sharpened spikes. The removable gate to the fort is also protected with projecting spikes. Some of the fort buildings can be seen on the hill in the background. The wrapping of this negative contains a different caption, namely Shameen - the guarded entrance between the British concession and the native city of Canton. The caption given above, used by Norman in his book (1895), is the more likely one. Monkay (Mon Cai) is situated on the French-Chinese border. |
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3
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The boys band, Manila. Showing a band composed of young boys with flutes made from lengths of bamboo, drums and one blowing on a large shell. The caption is taken from Norman (1895) : the caption given with the negative is A Malay band.
Fair condition, overall carzing of negative.. |
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4
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The approach to Peking - outside the walls. View looking along the walls of Peking, with one of the massive corner bastions in the foreground. Captioned The first sight of Peking in Norman (1895, p. 196).
Good condition, apart from slight tarnishing.. |
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5
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The Examination Halls, Peking. View looking along the path running between the two rows of small stone huts used for examinations. Norman (1895, p. 203) provides this description. The Government of China is a vast system of competitive examination tempered by bribery, and this Kao Chang is its focus. It is a miniature city, with one wide artery down the middle, hundreds of parallel streets running from this on both sides, each street mathematically subdivided into houses, a big semblance of a palace at one end of the main street, and little elevated watch-towers here and there. But the palace is merely the examiners Hall, the streets are three feet wide, and one side of them is a blank wall, the towers are for proctors to spy upon cribbing, and the houses are perfectly plain brick cells measuring 38 inches by 50. In the enclosure there are no fewer than fourteen thousand of them.
Good condition, apart from slight fading and silvering.. |
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6
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Foreign Office, Peking. View from the courtyard looking towards the single storey Chinese Foreign Office buildings. |
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7
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The Observatory, Peking. View looking along rows of instruments in the Peking Observatory. Norman (1895, p. 203) provides this description: A walk of a mile along the top of the wall brings you to the famous Observatory, and the marvellous bronzes of the Jesuit Father Verbiest, who made and eerected them in 1668. Below the wall, in a shady garden, are the much older ones which Marco Polo saw, less accurate astronomically, but even more beautiful for their grace and delicacy, and linking ones imagination closely with the romantic past; for this great globe and sextant and armillary zodiacal sphere were constructed in 1279 by the astronomer of Khublai Khan. Either the climate or their own intrinsic excellence has preserved them so well that every line and bit of tracery is as perfect to our eyes as it was to those of the great Khan himself.
Good condition, apart from slight yellowing and silvering.. |
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8
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The Great Wall of China. General view looking along the wall as it undulates over hilly country.
Good condition.. |
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9
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A watchtower on the the Great Wall. View looking up a flight of steps on the wall towards a square watchtower.
Fair condition.. |
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10
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A magistrates Yamen. Interior view of a magistrates courtroom, with the magistrates chair and desk in the centre, surrounded by large presentation umbrellas.
Fair condition, some overall yellowing.. |
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11
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A private cart, Peking. Showing a European woman climbing into a small covered cart, with the driver standing beside the horse. The pencilled caption on the negative wrapper reads The lady-friend of Sir Robert Hart starting for a drive in Peking. Sir Robert Hart (1835-1911) was Insepctor-General of Chinese Customs 1863-1908.
Good condition, apart from slight yellowing.. |
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12
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The top of the Wall, Peking. View looking along the top of the city wall.
Fair condition, some overall yellowing.. |
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13
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Korean dancing girls. Showing two Korean girls engaged in a dance in the open air.
Fair condition, some yellowing and tearing of emulsion. Figures in image are blurred.. |
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14
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Korean dancing girls. Scene in a garden showing two dancing girls and two girls playing musical instruments.
Fair condition.. |
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15
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Korean dancing girls.
Fair condition, some marking of negative.. |
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16
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Korean musicians. Showing three female musicians with their instruments.
Fair condition, some overall yellowing.. |
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17
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A palace court-yard in Bangkok. View looking across the courtyard towards the palace buildings, with two youths seated beneath the carved images in the centre of the open space.
Good condition.. |
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18
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A belle of the jungle Malaya. Full length portrait of a Malayan woman posed against the woven palm wall of a house.
Good condition, apart from a slight overall yellowing.. |
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19
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A Malay drama before the Sultan. Showing actors performing a play in the open air, with a row of spectators in the background.
Good condition, apart from slight marking of negative.. |
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20
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Korean dancer. Full length study of a dancer in action.
Creator: Norman, Sir, Henry.
Good condition.. |
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21
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Japanese or Korean calligraphy. Showing a woman seated on a cushion writing on a scroll.
Creator: Norman, Sir, Henry.
Fair condition, some marking of negative.. |
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22
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Japanese or Korean tea ceremony. Showing two women seated on the floor, one passing a small cup of tea to the other.
Fair condition, some marking of negative.. |
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23
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Japanese or Korean tea ceremony. Showing the two women seen in the preceding plate bowing to each other.
Good condition, apart from slight overall fading.. |
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24
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Japanese or Korean musician. Showing a woman seated on the floor with a guitar-like instrument.
Good condition, apart from slight overall yellowing.. |
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25
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Japanese woman. Full length study of a Japanese woman standing on a verandah, with a carved screen in the background.
Good condition, apart from slight overall yellowing.. |
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26
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Japanese rickshaw. Showing a European passenger being pulled through a Japanese street in a rickshaw. |
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27
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The ladies promenading in the Yoshiwara, Tokyo. A view showing Japanese women on the street.
Fair condiiton, some marking of negative. Image is somewhat blurred.. |
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28
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A Japanese garden. View looking across an ornamental lake towards pavilions and houses.
Poor condition, overall yellowing.. |
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29
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A Japanese belle - another picture in Real Japan. Head and shoulders portrait of a girl posed against a background of leaves. |
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30
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Japanese girl. Head and shoulders portrait of a girl, similarly posed to the preceding plate.
positive transparency. |
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