royal visit 1856 hrh alfred duke of edinburgh

Tue, 06/04/2024 - 19:28

Painting by Marciano Baptista.  He drew the scene from Bowen Road

Date picture taken
unknown

Comments

This does not show the royal visit 1856 HRH Alfred Duke of Edinburgh. 

1 The visit was in 1869, and the Duke arrived with HMS Galathea which was a sailing ship.

2 The ship which is moored in Victoria Harbour is a white steam ship with two funnels. Additionally, steamers which still have masts are in the harbour. This indicates the date to the last quarter of the 19th century.   

3 If the painting is really by Baptista (which is quite likely), it was painted in oil in that time indicated before. Possibly shows the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Connaught on the 31 March 1890.

Addendum: On the website 

 macaneselibrary.org/pub/uiExtFiles/Biographies/BaptistaMarciano/MarcianoBaptista.htm

it is referred that the photo posted should show a 1856 visit. But this is incorrect - as explained above. 

It’s my guess that the white steamship is the armoured cruiser HMS IMPERIEUSE the flagship to the China Station 1989-94. The warship is recorded as being present when the Duke and Duchess of Connaught visited Hong Kong in 1890. This would date the picture to 1890.

The Duke and Duchess arrived in Hong Kong aboard the P&O liner KAISAR –I-HIND a screw steamer with a black hull, khaki upperworks and a single black funnel.

References

  • Brief account of the Visit of their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Connaught to Hong Kong April 1890 – Printed by Noronha & Co. Government Printers

https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-289199123/view?partId=nla.obj-289204609#page/n4/mode/1up

  • HMS IMPERIEUSE

https://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/hms_imperieuse.htm

  • P&O - A Fleet History  S. Rabson & K. O’Donohue  World Ship Society ISBN 0 905617 45 2

Regards degahkg

It looks to me that the artist took the "skyline" of Hong Kong from the 1850s or early 1860s, but the ships from the 1890s. So it is historically incorrect but still a fine piece of art.

P.S. I also found the book about the visit on the internet. I'm about to create an event in the Royal Visit timeline.

Addendum: The receiving ship on the right looks like HMS Victor Emmanuel, the ship arrived in Hong Kong in 1874.