Painting of the Port of Canton
date: label: date made
content: ca 1830-1840
name: label: maker
content: unknown
notes: label: Description
content: America began trade with China in 1784, with the Philadelphia ship the <i>Empress of China</i>. Popular trade goods were tea, porcelain and fabric. The Chinese were skeptical of foreign powers, and trading was restricted to certain ports, one of which was Canton. The Chinese government saw this port as a major trading hub and felt that it needed to be controlled tightly to limit the influence of the foreigners.
label: Description
content: The actual port for Canton was called Whampoa Reach and it was about 12 miles down river from Canton. Western vessels had to anchor at Whompoa Reach and transfer their cargo to junks which transported the goods to the city for trading.
label: Description
content: In the painting there is a view of the Respondentia Walk, the only place in the city that foreigners were free to move about, and several foreign hongs. Hongs were foreign offices, warehouses, and residences for foreigners who did business with the Chinese government; hongs were built and owned by the Chinese government. Each hong flew the flag of the country that did business there; English, American and French hongs are all visible. There are small junks and clippers in the foreground.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: Subject
content: Maritime
setName: label: See more items in
content: Work and Industry: Maritime
label: See more items in
content: Cigna Maritime Collection
label: See more items in
content: Transportation
label: See more items in
content: Art
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of CIGNA Museum and Art Collection
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2005.0279.033
label: accession number
content: 2005.0279
label: catalog number
content: 2005.0279.033
objectType: label: Object Name
content: painting
label: Object Name
content: painting, oil
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: oil on canvas (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: without frame: 12 3/4 in x 23 in; 32.385 cm x 58.42 cm
label: Measurements
content: with fame: 17 in x 27 in; 43.18 cm x 68.58 cm