The interrogation of Esing the baker, upon the charge of poisoning

The image depicted in this sketch is related to the bread-poisoning incident that caused a considerable stir in Hong Kong on 15 January 1857. On that day, almost the whole Western community was poisoned by arsenic in the bread supplied from Esing, the principal bakery. The quantity used was so large that it caused vomiting, but spared everyone their lives. The baker and his workmen were promptly arrested by the colonial government. This work depicts the interrogation. According to the text accompanying an almost identical print in the Illustrated London News of 28 March 1857, the man wearing the hat in profile on the left of the picture should be the baker, properly called Alum. We believe this to be the original sketch of the said print published in the Illustrated London News. On the back of the sketch, the signature of the artist Marciano Baptista is found in the lower left corner. This sketch makes our Museum one of the very few museums worldwide that owns a pencil sketch bearing Baptista's signature.