Hong Kong scenes shot by an early 20th century tourist
Hungarian photographer Dezsõ Bozóky’s pictures taken in 1907 and 1909 are a a rare visual record of the colony
Touring East Asia in the first decade of the 20th century, Hungarian photographer Dezsõ Bozóky (1871-1957) captured Hong Kong for posterity, having visited the British colony in 1907 and 1909 and taken a series of images that now form a fascinating exhibition.
Bozóky, a naval doctor, documented his journey in a diary and took hundreds of images: a rare visual record of the colony. His black-and-white and hand-coloured pictures offer a unique glimpse of the bustling merchant town, culturally mixed society and lush natural landscape.
“‘Pictures of the Past’ allows us to accompany Bozóky on his personal journey and to see what phenomena and characteristics of Hong Kong, such as the lively narrow paths with street vendors, the food stalls and the lush garden-like cemeteries, interested a foreign traveller a hundred years ago,” says Dr Florian Knothe, director of the University Museum and Art Gallery.