William Saunders

• Illustration — Advertisement for “Mr. Saunders' Art gallery." The Far East Journal (Shanghai) Vol. 2, No. 3. 1877 Saunders was born in Britain in 1832, and first travelled to China in 1860 as an engineer. He then returned to Britain, studied photography, and returned again to China with photographic equipment, where he opened one of Shanghai's first photography studios in January 1862. Located near the famous Astor House Hotel at the centre of Shanghai's commercial hub, Saunders' studio became the city's leading photographic studio. Saunders' studio was to remain open for twenty-five years, a testament to his "considerable photographic talent [combined] with business acumen and marketing flair." Although chiefly a portrait photographer, Saunders' fascination with China led him to photograph current events, local scenery and the local population. Saunders created his photographs – some of the earliest of the city and its people – "at a critical time in Chinese history; just as Shanghai was emerging as an international commercial city." Saunders' photographs offer an intimate view of the diverse inhabitants of Shanghai and their traditional lifestyles and occupations. His studio portraits often featured props that signified the trade or social status of the subject, and the photographer exhibited particular interest in the clothing and hairstyles of the subjects. Although many of Saunders' scenes of everyday Chinese life were posed due to limitations of photographic processes, they provide accurate reflections of life in 19th-century China, and contributed to the spreading of knowledge of Chinese customs and traditions throughout the West. Saunders retired to England in the late 1880s, but continued to travel to China regularly. On a return trip to Shanghai, he became unwell during the passage; his health continued to deteriorate upon arrival, and Saunders died in December 1892 of bronchitis at the age of sixty.

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