Curated by Edward Stokes and presented by the Hong Kong Maritime Museum (HKMM)'s curatorial team, Voyage Through Time is a new exhibition of captivating photographs taken in Hong Kong between the 1940s and 1970s by celebrated photographers Hedda Morrison, Brian Brake and Edward Stokes. These photos portray Hong Kong’s harbour, its port, shipping, maritime life, and boat people. Generously supported by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation HK with additional sponsorship from The Swire Group Charitable Trust, the exhibition is open to the public free of charge, from 13 November 2024 to March 2025.

Each Photograph Tells a Hong Kong Harbour Story 

From the post-war era to its rise as a modern metropolis, these photos vividly capture a slice of Hong Kong’s history. Each photograph tells a unique harbour story.

Hedda Morrison captured post-war maritime Hong Kong with her camera. In one photo, Wan Chai can be seen, still barren after the war, overlooking Victoria Harbour. Life for most people during this period was extremely hard. Many people were gaunt from hunger.

Brian Brake’s photos were mainly taken in the 1960s to mid-1970s. During this era, port facilities and city’s skyline saw significant development, and the lives of its people became less hard.

Edward Stokes’ photos were taken in 1979, a pivotal time when Hong Kong transitioned to its emergence as a modern metropolis. There is one photo that depicts two boys who look adequately fed, and almost certainly going to school – an unthinkable benefit for virtually all boat children in 1946.