One man and his camera: an 1873 travelogue

One man and his camera: an 1873 travelogue

About this collection

William Pryor Floyd was a prolific British photographer with a passion for travel. He made his way to Shanghai in 1865 – the year of HSBC’s founding. After a year working in the city, he moved to Macau to establish his own studio along the Praya Grande. He soon relocated to Hong Kong and established another studio, W P Floyd and Co., at 62 Queen's Road Central. His surviving works are a valuable historical record of the topography of Hong Kong, China and Japan. We are fortunate to have a copy of his 1873 album in our archive collection. Here’s a selection of photographs to enjoy from Macau, Canton (Guangzhou) and Japan, with Floyd's original captions.

Records