Catalog Archive
Auction 151, Lot 629

"[Lot of 5] Plan of the Foreign Settlements Shanghai [and] Sketch Map of Peking [and] Plan of Hong Kong City of Victoria [and] Plan of the Foreign Concessions Tientsin [and] Map of Hongkong",

Subject: China

Period: 1913 (circa)

Publication: The Travelers Handbook for China

Color:

Size:
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This lot features four uncommon plans and one map from Carl Crow's The Travelers Handbook for China, first published in 1913. Crow, who opened the first Western advertising agency in Shanghai, was something of a Renaissance man, working not just as an adman, but as a newspaperman, farmer, hostage negotiator, propagandist, and much more during his time in Shanghai. A. Plan of the Foreign Settlements Shanghai, printed color (13.6 x 9.1"). This detailed plan shows the Shanghai International Settlement, the section of the city created by the British in the wake of the First Opium War and the Treaty of Nanking. Soochow (or Suzhou) Creek, roads, foreign consulates, police stations, tramways, various places of worship, schools, cemeteries, a railway station, and more are located. The borders to the Chinese section appear at left. Condition: Issued folding, now flat, with an archivally repaired tear that enters 2.5" into image at bottom. (B+)

B. Sketch Map of Peking, printed color (11.0 x 11.7"). This handsome plan shows Beijing or Peking, split into the Tartar and Chinese sections. The Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and the Altar of Agriculture are prominently displayed, and numerous streets, cathedrals, railways, palaces, and temples also appear. Crosses indicate missions or churches, while swastikas (a commonly used Buddhist symbol for eternity) mark the location of temples. Condition: Issued folding with a single spot and a couple edge tears, one of which just touches the neatline. (A)

C. Plan of Hong Kong City of Victoria, printed color (11.3 x 6.1"). Victoria, one of the early urban settlements in British Hong Kong, is the subject of this interesting plan. Roads, barracks, piers, wharves, a tramway, cathedrals, mosques, city hall, a cricket ground, and more are identified. Condition: Issued folding with a 3.25" fold separation at right that has been closed on verso with archival tape and a faint damp stain at top right. (B+)

D. Plan of the Foreign Concessions Tientsin, printed color (11.8 x 6.1"). In the late 19th century, the Chinese government ceded concession territories in Tianjin (then known as Tientsin), an important port in northern China, to several foreign nations. This plan illustrates the territories belonging to Austria-Hungary, Italy, France, Japan, Russia, Britain, Germany, Belgium, and Japan. A compass rose capped with a fleur-de-lis orients the north to the top left corner. Condition: Issued folding with two faint damps stains just entering into the image at top. (A)

E. Map of Hongkong, black & white (5.3 x 3.3"). This map of Hong Kong Island provides nice detail of the island's mountainous topography. The bustling Victoria Harbor and numerous bays, satellite islands, and roads are delineated. Condition: There is a faint damp stain in the bottom blank margin, else fine. (A)

References:

Condition:

See description above.

Estimate: $275 - $375

Sold for: $210

Closed on 11/19/2014

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