WOW YOUR CLIENTS WITH OUR HUGE & UNIQUE HERITAGE IMAGES
EARLY PHOTOGRAPHIC NEGATIVES FROM ASIA HARDLY SURVIVE
Photographic negatives on celluloid are very delicate and typically have a lifespan of 40 to 60 years. Adding the hot and humid conditions in Asia mean early photographic negatives from this region hardly survive. Many of the images in this archive were taken on expensive and therefore even rarer large format film. The carefully dry-stored 100+ year old archive was only recently discovered here in the UK. We acquired it directly from the family of the photographer.
DIGITISING THE 3,000 NEGATIVE ARCHIVE IS A LENGTHY PROCESS
Each negative is delicately cleaned and then wet scanned in a specialised oil mount at ultra-high resolution. The resulting raw digital file is typically the same size as a movie at around 1.5Gb. It is then carefully digitally cleaned to remove scratches, marks and blemishes whilst maintaining the original photographic detail. This process takes our expert around 5 to 12 hours per negative. It results in unique images of a bygone era that can be printed up to 30m in size.
We began digitising the 3,000 negative archive in 2023 and anticipate the process will complete by around 2032. New images will therefore continue to be added to this website on an ongoing periodic basis.
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Born in England in 1872, he trained as a carpenter and engineer. Always inquisitive and adventurous, he made the bold move to China in 1902 where he worked for the Shanghai Municipal Council overseeing a team of local carpenters. During his time in China, he was also involved in a Mission School helping to support destitute street children.
He took every opportunity to travel to other parts of the continent taking a keen interest in the everyday lives of the people and places that he encountered. This was documented through his love of photography providing this unique and charming historical record.
During his 24 year working life in China, he travelled home to England on 4 separate occasions. Each time it took the form of a round-the-world trip, sometimes with friends or family joining him and his faithful set of 3 cameras.
He permanently returned to England in 1926 where he cherished his photographs and negatives until his passing in 1962.