A Chinese export painting depicting the Western Hongs of Canton
Canton, circa 1802
Oil on canvas, H. 51 x W. 68 cm
Along the Canton waterfront, four flags are seen aloft, from left to right: the Spanish, the American, the British and the Dutch. The Stars and Stripes were first hoisted here in 1799, the Union Jack was added with the red saltire of St Patrick in 1801 and in 1803. The Spanish flag was replaced by the French Tricolor, which was taken down on the death of Jean Baptiste Piron, the French supercargo and 'Agent de la République' in October 1804, not to reappear on the Canton waterfront until the 1830s. So this picture must represent the situation of the Western Hongs in Canton between 1801 and 1803.
Oil on canvas, H. 51 x W. 68 cm
Along the Canton waterfront, four flags are seen aloft, from left to right: the Spanish, the American, the British and the Dutch. The Stars and Stripes were first hoisted here in 1799, the Union Jack was added with the red saltire of St Patrick in 1801 and in 1803. The Spanish flag was replaced by the French Tricolor, which was taken down on the death of Jean Baptiste Piron, the French supercargo and 'Agent de la République' in October 1804, not to reappear on the Canton waterfront until the 1830s. So this picture must represent the situation of the Western Hongs in Canton between 1801 and 1803.
