Page 771 - Chinese SIlver By Adrien Von Ferscht

J.ULLMANN & Co.
74 Queen’s Road, Hong Kong; 564 Nanking Road Shanghai & Rue de France,
Tientsin
circa 1850-1920

Jaques Ullman was a jeweller and luxury goods retailer of Swiss French nationality. The original store was in
Fleurie, Switzerland and it was here the Ullman Family became renowned as makers of superb watches, clocks
and automata and it is because of the latter they first gained a reputation among the Imperial Court in China and
the Chinese nobility and “intellectuals” for what were known in China as “Singsongs” - automata of every kind,
in particular incorporating a clock and often a music mechanism.

In order to have better access to their
Chinese clientele, Ullman opened at 74
Queen’s Road Hong Kong circa 1880. This
was quickly followed by stores in Tientsin
and Shanghai in the French quarter of the
International Settlement in each city. No
store has been recorded as existing in
Peking but it is known that Kielruff, in the
international legation quarter in Peking
stocked Ullman items.

Ullman & Co had their own factory in Fleurie
and it was here that the most fantastical of
automata clocks were devised and created
specifically for the Chinese market. These
were quickly joined by pocket and table-top
watches with specially created faces using
Chinese ideograms.