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Lai Afong
Interior of a matshed hall, Hong Kong
1868 (ca)
Albumen print
6,1 x 8,6 cm
Bassenge Photography Auctions
19th - 21st Century Photography, 3 June 2015, Lot: 4048
LL/59753
After working for the Hong Kong photographer José Joaquim Alves de Silveira at some point between 1865 and 1867, Lai Fong went on to establish the Afong studio, which was in full operation by the spring of 1870. In the highly competitive photographic market of Hong Kong, Lai Fong's venture quickly became the best-known Chinese studio in the colony and one of the longest-lived photographic businesses in China, continuing to operate after its founder's death in 1890 until after the Second World War.
The type of large hall shown in the photograph offered here is constructed from poles and rough matting, and was often built for temporary housing for religious festivals or theatrical perfomances. The poles in the foreground reached over the street to support the roof of the structure.
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