Henry Charles CAMMIDGE (1839-1874) was born in York, England. In 1861 he joined the Imperial Maritime Customs Service as a tidewaiter at Shanghai, resigning in 1866 to become a photographer. “Henry Cammidge deserves recognition for producing a body of work of exceptional quality. It seems to capture the spirit of an ancient but decaying civilisation, and it is regrettable that he did not live long enough to fulfil his obvious potential” (Source: Terry Bennett History of Photography in China, Western Photographers 1861-1879, pp123-132).