Listening to a gramophone record, c.1910

Title : Listening to a gramophone record, c.1910

Topic : Shanghai Municipal Police

Location : Unknown

Estimated dates : c.1910

Nature : B&W Photo

Support image : Paper

Caption on support : A Crowd of Chinese listening to the Gramaphone

Information data : University of Bristol - Historical Photographs of China reference number: su01-58. The gramophone record is being played on the SMP (Shanghai Municipal Police) houseboat 'Kathleen'. The European man is probably Police Constable Kay, SMP. The dog is attending to the music in much the same way as the dog 'Nipper' in the His Master's Voice (HMV) painting, advertisements and branding. Nipper was bought as a puppy in Bristol in 1884, whilst Detective Sub-Inspector John Sullivan was born in Bristol on 7 Oct 1885. The HMV imagery would have been familiar to Sullivan and his colleagues, who were touring from Shanghai in the SMP houseboat 'Kathleen'.

Keywords : Sullivan;Shanghai;Municipal;Police;SMP;music;record;player;phonograph;technology;dog;clothing;hat;boat;river;waterway;leisure