引用:
原帖由 pashwawa 於 2007-12-6 19:04 發表
Having looked at it closely, I think the writing is "Walsh, Hall & Co's bungalow". A Walsh Hall & Co. did exist in Japan in 19th century. From the outfit of the farmer on the photo, I think he could be a Japanese also. My guess the photo was taken in Japan and not Hong Kong. Here is the info I found from the Net about the company.
Walsh Hall & Co. ウォルシュ・ホール商会, an American trading firm in Yokohama whose founders (Walsh brothers) produced paper in Japan (morphing into Mitsubishi Paper Mills).
Many thanks for your detailed analysis. While the building itself is of Japanese origing (all of us here have no doubt about it) the dress of the man in the photo does give us some hints - yes, I would totally agree that he is a Japanese! Although we cannot 100% rule out that the bungalow is in Hong Kong as my friend declared, my earlier suspicion that the photo is in fact outside Hong Kong appears to grow in weight.
Meanwhile, there is a record that Walsh Hall & Co. once opened an office in Hong Kong. That is why I cannot 100% rule out the possibility of the photo being taken in Hong Kong.