A Chinese flower boat

A black-and-white landscape photograph showing a starboard view of a Chinese flower boat on a river or canal. Two rows of carved wooden window frames, twenty in total, form a patterned exterior on the starboard side,Two bare-chested boatmen can be seen along this side, each holding a pole (for moving the vessel). A man abd three women are seated around a Chinese table at the bow, with three attendants standing nearby. An ornate carved wooden lintel is visible above them, with another man standing behind this on the upper deck. A ladder, placed horizontally, is also visible on the side of the vessel. The boat’s convex roof can be seen near the stern. On the far side of the flower boat, there is a line of traditional Chinese buildings; three roof ridges and a tree can be seen. Original caption (handwritten beneath): ‘Flower Boat. Canton. Nov. 83’

Flower boats were used as pleasure vessels on Chinese rivers and in ports during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Many acted as floating brothels, with sex workers working on board.

For a model of a flower boat in the collection: see OBJ0437.