TAI, Tuck.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

Panorama of the Shanghai Bund. Tuck Tai's famous panorama, datable to the later 1890s by the presence of the towering Western-style customs house, which was erected on the site of an old temple in 1893. While little is known about Tuck Tai himself, he set the standard for photography in late 19th-century Shanghai, and his panoramas were expensive, but desirable, souvenirs and gifts.The eight panels of this example embrace a 250-degree perspective and show the following views and features:Panel 1: looking south towards the Chinese city.Panel 2: the Quai de Wampoo.Panel 3: the end of the French Settlement and the beginning of the British settlement. The majestic Shanghai Club building (torn down in 1909) appears in the centre, and also visible is the time ball, which was erected in 1884. In the distance is the steeple of St Joseph's Catholic Church. The paddle steamer Ichang is moored in the river.Panel 4: the central portion of the Bund, showing the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and the Deutsch-Asiatische Bank buildings, as well as the customs house.Panel 5: the large Jardine, Matheson building in front of a water tower, as well as the manicured waterfront. In the foreground is the River Police Station.Panel 6: the British consulate on the far left, the public gardens, and the bandstand. Behind the Garden Bridge, which stretches over Soochow Creek, is the Astor House hotel. On the far right are the German and Japanese consulates.Panel 7: the Nippon Yusen Kaisha warehouses.Panel

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