A couple months ago, my friend Annie sent me a scan of this BOAC poster she’s had for years.
For those who are too young to remember, BOAC was British Overseas Airways Corporation, the predecessor of British Air.
Just as Annie had proclaimed, the poster is cool on so many levels. The crowds on Aberdeen Street, the shanties lining the steps, the six foot model, the Vogue-like aura.
I posted this photo on a Facebook group (Hong Kong in the 60s) and received quite a few comments. But in the middle of the commenting, one friend interrupted with a newsflash.
A friend of hers who also owns this poster revealed that the model was actually Anthony Hardy, the son of a Hong Kong taipan.
Aberdeen Street has changed a bit since the 1960s, when this photo was shot. Some of the shanties have been replaced with more permanent-looking structures, although it appears that some might still be there.
I’m not sure what happened to Anthony Hardy, but when I did a search for that name, it comes up as a shipping magnate in Hong Kong.
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