{"product_id":"british-north-borneo-illustrated-london-news-1887","title":"British North Borneo - Illustrated London News 1887","description":"\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"3\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"0\" class=\"\"\u003eTitle:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e British North Borneo—From Photographs by the Hon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Ralph Abercromby \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"74\" class=\"\"\u003eArtist\/Photographer:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e The Hon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Ralph Abercromby \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"121\" class=\"\"\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"132\" class=\"\"\u003eThe Illustrated London News\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"160\" class=\"\"\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e London,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e United Kingdom \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"191\" class=\"\"\u003eDate:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e c.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e 1885–1890 \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"3\" data-index-in-node=\"210\" class=\"\"\u003eTechnique:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Hand-coloured wood engraving\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-path-to-node=\"4\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"4\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eA Window into the Chartered Territory\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"5\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eIn the late 19th century,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e North Borneo was a frontier of the British Empire,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e administered not by the Crown directly,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e but by the North Borneo Chartered Company.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e This plate tells the story of an era when the \"mysterious East\" was being systematically documented for a curious Victorian public.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Through the lens of the Hon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Ralph Abercromby,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e an intrepid traveler and meteorologist,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e these eight vignettes offer a curated glimpse into the administrative,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e economic,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e and cultural life of a region rarely seen by Europeans.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"6\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003eThe sheet is a study in contrasts:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e the orderly,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e red-roofed \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"59\" class=\"\"\u003eGovernment House in Sandakan\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e represents the imposition of British law and colonial social life,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e while the depictions of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"179\" class=\"\"\u003eHead-Hunting Dyaks\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e and \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"202\" class=\"\"\u003ePile-Dwellings\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e emphasize the \"exotic\" and \"untamed\" nature of the territory.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e It captures the early commercial heartbeat of the colony,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e from the hazardous collection of \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"370\" class=\"\"\u003eEdible Bird's Nests\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e in limestone caves to the nascent \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"6\" data-index-in-node=\"424\" class=\"\"\u003eTobacco Plantations\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e that would soon define the local economy.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4 data-path-to-node=\"7\" class=\"\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"7\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eChronicles of the Plate\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cul data-path-to-node=\"8\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\" class=\"\"\u003eThe Photographer's Eye\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e The Hon.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e Ralph Abercromby was not a professional illustrator but a scientist.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e His reliance on photography for these sketches lent them a level of ethnographic realism that was highly prized by the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci data-path-to-node=\"8,0,0\" data-index-in-node=\"221\" class=\"\"\u003eIllustrated London News\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for its \"authenticity.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,1,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\" class=\"\"\u003eSandakan: The First Capital\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e The two top images show Sandakan,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e the administrative heart of North Borneo.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e At the time,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e it was a burgeoning port city,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e often called the \"Constantinople of the East\" due to its strategic position and multicultural population.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\" class=\"\"\u003eEconomic Foundations\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e The middle vignettes document two of Borneo's most famous exports.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e The \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"93\"\u003eEdible Bird’s Nest\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e industry was a vital link to the Chinese market,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e while the \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,2,0\" data-index-in-node=\"171\"\u003eTobacco Plantation\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e illustrates the early agricultural shift toward cash crops.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\"\u003e\u003cb data-path-to-node=\"8,3,0\" data-index-in-node=\"0\"\u003eThe \"Home of the Orang-Outang\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e The final image reflects the Victorian fascination with natural history and the newly popularized theories of evolution,\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e showing European explorers encountering the great apes of the Bornean jungle.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Treasures of the Orient","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40485656821825,"sku":"","price":180.0,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0572\/7125\/5105\/files\/3B8CD272-61DF-4E50-8A66-326E7DF3914A.jpg?v=1694098874","url":"https:\/\/treasuresoftheorient.com\/products\/british-north-borneo-illustrated-london-news-1887","provider":"Treasures of the Orient","version":"1.0","type":"link"}