Author Archives: Jamie Carstairs

Location/Dislocation – Admiral Keppel, the Chinese Buddha at Sandringham and three key photographs

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs (Special Collections, University of Bristol Library) is researching the work of Charles Frederick Moore (1838-1916). In this post, Photodetective Carstairs reinvestigates a photographic cold case… In my mind, three golden Buddhas lined up in a row, as if … Continue reading →

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Charles Frederick Moore’s photographs of the ruins of the European-style palaces (西洋楼) at the Yuanmingyuan (圆明园)

Posted on May 15, 2022 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs (Senior Digitisation Officer, Special Collections, University of Bristol Library) is researching the work of Charles Frederick Moore (1838-1916), and here discusses Moore’s photographs of the ruins of the European-style, baroque palaces at the Yuanmingyuan. When the vast and … Continue reading →

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Pieces of China in Bristol – cataloguing Historical Photographs of China material

Posted on January 18, 2022 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs has recently catalogued the ‘Historical Photographs of China’ material held in Special Collections, University of Bristol Library. In this post, he describes the material in outline and mentions some highlights. During the fifteen years of the Historical Photographs … Continue reading →

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Jamie Carstairs on Remembering John Thomson in Edinburgh

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Jamie Carstairs

Last week a plaque was unveiled on John Thomson’s childhood home in Edinburgh, Scotland, in his centenary year. How did it get there? In 2018, the John Thomson Commemoration Group* formed to restore John Thomson’s grave in south London. During … Continue reading →

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The John Gurney Fry Collection: tea, silver and chocolates

Posted on April 20, 2020 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs, who manages the Historical Photographs of China Project, writes about a collection just added to the HPC site. Last year, an album of 124 photographs  was generously donated by Richard Ambrose to the Historical Photographs of China project, care of … Continue reading →

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Commemorating John Thomson: Edinburgh to install a Bronze Plaque

Posted on February 28, 2020 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs, who manages the Historical Photographs of China Project, nominated John Thomson for a plaque in Edinburgh. The independent plaques panel at Heritage Environment Scotland (HES) announced yesterday that a plaque to commemorate the Scottish photographer John Thomson (1837-1921), is … Continue reading →

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Charles Frederick Moore (1837-1916), a photographer in China

Posted on December 5, 2019 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs, who manages the Historical Photographs of China Project, follows up  serendipitous events, leading to a rabbit hole, in which a ‘new’ nineteenth century China photographer was found. ‘Mr. C. F. Moore, in the service of the Customs at Ningpo, … Continue reading →

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Restored – the grave of pioneering travel photographer John Thomson

Posted on July 24, 2019 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs, who manages the Historical Photographs of China Project, reports on the tribute to the photographer John Thomson FRGS, whose grave has now been restored. John Thomson (1837-1921) is acclaimed in Martin Parr and Gerry Badger’s The Photobook: A History … Continue reading →

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Restoring John Thomson’s grave

Posted on May 31, 2018 by Jamie Carstairs

Jamie Carstairs, Historical Photographs of China Project manager, has joined the committee seeking to restore photographer John Thomson’s grave. Here he explains why. An ad hoc group has come together to try to raise the funds needed to restore the … Continue reading →

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An image by Fu Bingchang is one of 1001 ‘must see’ photographs

Posted on January 31, 2018 by Jamie Carstairs

This poised portrait of woman wearing a swimsuit, sitting on a rock by the seaside, has been selected for publication in 1001 Photographs you must see before you die.  The photograph was taken by Fu Bingchang (Foo Ping-sheung, 1895-1965) in … Continue reading →

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