East Asia Squadron Sailors

[Dirk]

A few portrait photos taken of German sailors while cruising Asiatic waters. Taken in photo studios in China and Japan. Both British and American sailors favored certain studios in Hong Kong and Shanghai….I have yet to study enough German asiatic portraits to know if Germans did likewise. Note the Deck Officer appears to have his Boxer Medal

 

[Sandmann]

Nice photos, thank you for sharing, Dirk

 

[Nickc]

I really do like these, want some for my collection. Not that easy to find, found it easier to get photoographs of von Lettow-Vorbeck in East Africa than anything from Tsingtao

 

[b.loree]

Yes quite rare. A part of German History which few outside this forum or a university History Dept. would even be aware of.

 

[Dirk]

Thanks guys! Surprisingly, they turn up on American and German eBay with enough frequency that you should be able to pick some up over any given year. Sun helmets and Pickelhaubes portraits are the most in demand, epically if taken by Chinese photographers. You can also find them taken by Japanese, studios as the East Asian Squadron followed the same circuit as the other great European powers and the Americans and Imperial Japanese fleets. But be careful, as I think there are some reproductions floating around on eBay out of Eastern Europe.

 

[Nickc]

I have got to get me some of these!!!

 

[Dirk]

Nick when u do…pm me to see what your getting…there are what I believe are fakes out there….German eBay is pretty good place to start your hunt!

 

[Nickc]

Nick when u do…pm me to see what your getting…there are what I believe are fakes out there….German eBay is pretty good place to start your hunt!

Count on that! Thanks for the offer as I am actively looking, not much luck so far but did get a photo of Oswald Boelcke in album I bought tonight, sadly not the one of him and Manfred von Richtofen, but happy none the less