The Dragon and The Eagle: American Traders in China

The Pazhou pagoda of Whampoa, as shown in the background, is one of the landmarks that survives in Canton today, and it offers a clue regarding the painting's location and historical context.

In the foreground, there is a traditional sampan on which the Chinese sculler with a ponytail is controlling the paddle. It directs the gaze of the viewers towards the large ship.

'Empress of China' was the first American ship to enter Chinese waters.

This Health and Sailing Clearance was handwritten with ink on parchment and executed with the seal of the Governor of New York, George Clinton.

It contains a cut paper star floret. The Clearance was signed on January 25, 1784 and delivered to 'Empress of China' on the same day. (From the collection of The Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia)

The two-part dish, like two others at Winterthur, bears a "MADE IN FRANCE" inscription in paint on the underside of the removable basket.

The base of the example shown here is unmarked and appears to be Chinese in origin. (From the collection of The Winterthur Museum)

The Americans had a deep affection for tea. The British monopolized the tea trade and imposed tea taxes on American colonies, causing the relationship between both sides to continue to deteriorate. On December 16, 1773, American colonists boarded three vessels owned by the East India Company and dumped 342 chests of tea into the sea; this political protest came to be known as the Boston Tea Party. Soon after that, destruction of tea successively occurred in other areas including New York and New Jersey, leading to the outbreak of the American War of Independence.

Close inspection of the image of Washington on the jug indicates that the Chinese artisan who reproduced the printed portrait imitated the cross-hatched shading of the engraving. (From the collection of The Winterthur Museum)

The interior side of the spoon has a curious illustration of the Founding Fathers and Declaration of Independence signers gathered around a table. The execution in terms of calligraphy and spelling on the spoon was undoubtedly from a Chinese artist's hand.

The thirteen blue stars above the eagle serve as symbols of the thirteen states, representing the liberty and independence of the newly-founded nation. (From the collection of The Hong Kong Maritime Museum)

Designed for the bases of wine bottles, this pair of circular coasters feature a laurel pattern in relief on their borders and a husk chain on their bellies.

Bearing the engraved hallmark "Khecheong" on their feet, they were amongst the American-style export silver sets of the early nineteenth century.

They belonged to the collection of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. (From the collection of Anthony J. Hardy)

Among most iconic ceramics produced for the American China trade are the objects which are associated with the Society of Cincinnati, which was founded in 1783 as a fraternity of officers who served during the Revolutionary War. (From the collection of The Winterthur Museum)

This world map is a piece of geography homework that was popular in middle schools during the 19th century in North America and UK. The shape of the continents and borders of nations were printed; the rest of the map was left to be colored in by students. (Collection from K.L. Tam, on loan to HKMM)

In this map, we can see the then territory of the United States; the whole region of the Mississippi River was merged and extended to the border of Canada at around forty-two degrees north latitude.

However, California, Arizona, Colorado and the areas which are currently known in the present day as New Mexico, Texas, and other states, were under Spanish control.

This painting captures a view of the city and foreign factories at Canton, which was a popular subject matter that can be found in trade paintings produced between 18th and 19th centuries. Viewers are presented with a view of the Pearl River towards the foreign factories from the island of Honam.

Chinese coolies (workers) in the foreground load tea onto a chop boat's chests using bamboo carrying poles or just their heads. (From the collection of The Hong Kong Maritime Museum)

The letter is an interesting and rare letter from the most famous Chinese merchant in the early nineteenth century, Houqua (Wu Bingjian). At his death in 1843, Houqua was considered to have been one of the wealthiest men in the world.

This letter shows that Houqua, with the help of the Perkins, was carrying out extensive business ventures on his own account separate from his primary business as a Hong merchant. (From the collection of Edward G. Tiedemann, Jr.)

The central motif on this dish is one of several stylized imitations of the arms of the State of New York, which were commissioned by Governor DeWitt Clinton in 1778.

Liberty is featured on the left, holding a staff topped by a Liberty Cap. Justice, at the right, stands blindfolded and holds up a set of scales. (From the collection of The Winterthur Museum)

The armorial crest on this pair of candlesticks, painted in overglaze polychrome, is adapted from the Great Seal of the United States.

While the American coat of arms shield of the spread-wing eagle clutching arrows (military force) and an olive branch (peace) serve as symbols of the United States, the sun rays encircling the eagle's head symbolize the arms of New York City.

Scattered on the neck and base are traditional patterns of flowers in pink and red, a common motif found on export porcelain for Americans during the late Qing dynasty in the nineteenth century. (From the collection of Anthony J. Hardy, on loan to HKMM)

Although Fuzhou was one of the Treaty Ports designated by the Treaty of Nanjing (1842), the city itself could not be reached by Western ships, which anchored downstream at Mawei, in the channel known as "Pagoda Anchorage".

The pagoda still stands - although no longer n an island - as do some of the buildings from the 1860s.

In the 1860s, Pagoda Anchorage became the starting-point for the "tea races", in which tea-clippers competed to bring home their cargoes supplied from the Bohea tea-growing districts close by. They Brought tea not only to Britain but also to the U.S. and Australia. (From the collection of Anthony J. Hardy)

This interesting painting shows the central harbour at the point when Hong Kong was taking off as a port from its slow growing early years.

A close look shows ships from Britain, the USA, France and the Netherlands, as well as a host of Chinese vessels off Western District.

The American ship -an auxiliary steam warship- is interesting since it helps us date the painting to early 1870s. The ship is likely to be USS Colorado, the flagship of the US Navy's Asiatic Squadron, formed in 1868 to replace the preceding East Indies Squadron.(From the collection of Anthony J. Hardy, on loan to HKMM)

A ship's medicine chest contained all kinds of ointments, lotions, and herbs, as well as dressings and bandages.

The unusual central decoration is of a side-wheeler paddle steamer in the Pearl River surrounded by smaller Chinese trading craft, with a rowing boat manned by three European oarsmen in the right foreground.

In the background, the tops of masts and a Chinese village appear behind distant hills.

The first recorded paddle steamer to arrive in Canton appears to have been 'Forbes', chartered from Calcutta in 1830 by Jame Matheson as part of a lottery venture. The Chinese were unimpressed, calling it an 'outside walkee' vessel. Five years later, she was followed by 'Jardine' in the hope of selling the model, but the new 'smokeship' was again banned by the local authorities, with some reason as the engine room subsequently caught fire following a picnic. However, with the arrival of the first British steam-powered warship 'Nemesis' in 1840 to devastating result during the First Opium War, it became clear that the new technology could no longer be ignored. (From the collection of the Hong Kong Maritime Museum)

The intricately embroidered silk gentleman's waistcoat bears a maritime motif incorporating paddle-wheel steam-sail vessels on both front and reverse panels.

This garment was obviously made for a sea captain or shipowner. The panels were likely embroidered in China and sent to the west to uncut to be mounted and lined. (From the collection of The Kelton Foundation)

With a copper core, the jug (or pitcher) has an oval body and a restrained neck. Flowers, melons, and butterflies are painted on a white ground.

The pumpkin motif was a popular decorative element that could be found on Canton export commodities such as porcelains and lacquerware.

The techniques of enamel famille rose were first introduced in Canton, where objects decorated in this manner were purchased by the Canton Customs, and became part of the local tribute dedicated to Qing emperors for use at the imperial court. (From the collection of Rosemary S. Vietor)

The emblem of the eagle first appeared on Chinese export porcelain for the American market to celebrate the newly-founded country in the late eighteenth century. (From the collection of The Philadelphia Museum of Art)

The urn exemplifies how the Neoclassical design was incorporated into Chinese export porcelain acquired by the American market at the turn of the nineteenth century.

(From the collection of The Philadelphia Museum of Art)

An open Canton lacquer shop is shown with gilt and black boxes and serving dishes packed on its shelves. The visual impact of the shops in Canton and the attractiveness of their displays were factors that created a genre by itself in Chinese export painting.

The emergence of these scenes as popular memorabilia confirms that visiting these shops as an exceptional experience for the Western visitor. (From the collection of The Kelton Foundation)

Interwoven with the history of Sino-American trade are stories of women from both China and America. In 1831 the Qing Government imposed the "Eight regulations for dealing with foreigners", asserting that "foreign women are forbidden to be brought (by foreign traders) in the Hongs and to sit on the palanquin."

This painting, depicting a mother, an infant, and a maid, is a curious image.

Lying on a long Canton marble couch, the young woman rests her left cheek upon her left palm and crooked arm, while the infant besides her holds a circular fan.

On the fan, the snowy scene with magpie contrasts greatly with the hot summer weather of Canton.

An intriguing question arises as to whether the woman and the child are in a house along the river's shore, or resting within a "flower boat" on the river itself.

A view of a port can be seen in the upper left corner of the painting; it is not clear whether this port scene is a real-life view from a window, or if it is just a framed painting. (From the collection of The Hong Kong Maritime Museum)

A by product of the cultural encounter between China and the West, this circular fan had a surface for both traditional silk embroidery and gouache painting.

Decorative fans were amongst the commodities intended for the export market, including those that were part of the Empress of China's cargoes shipped to the United States. (From the collection of Chris Hall)