Lewis Ryder

Email: lewis.ryder@postgrad.manchester.ac.uk
Twitter: @lewryder

Previous Education

History, Master of Arts University of Manchester (2015-2016)
History, Bachelor of Arts, University of Manchester (2011-2014)

Thesis Title

Mandarins in Manchester: Networks, Authenticity and Projections of China in the Art Collections of John Hilditch (1872-1930)

Supervisors

Professor Yangwen Zheng
Dr Emma Martin

Research Summary

This thesis will investigate the Chinese art collection amassed by John Hilditch (1872-1930), in order to explore British understandings and engagements with China. This research will use Hilditch’s collection in order to understand Hilditch’s self-representation, revealing what an affiliation with ‘the Orient’ could offer British individuals in interwar Britain. More than a biography of Hilditch, this thesis will provide a broader insight into British culture following the First World War, addressing themes of race, imperialism, travel, authenticity, Chinese modernity and museology. Moreover, this thesis will insert Manchester into the existing scholarship of Chinese art connoisseurship, which has previously focused on London.

Research interests

British imperialism, Sino-British relations, material culture, individuals and identity.