The Roy Maxwell Talbot Papers

Check out the new slatwall display in the Quiet Study Room, featuring images from the Roy Maxwell Talbot Papers.

Men having tea in an arcade area, with Roy Maxwell Talbot (second from left)

 Roy Maxwell Talbot was employed in China as the Commissioner of Chinese Maritime Customs and Audit Secretary from 1908 – 1942. His career spanned the death of the Empress Dowager, the fall of the Manchu (Qing) Dynasty and the creation of the Republic of China. In 1932, he was arrested by Japanese officials for refusing to hand over Chinese customs revenues. In 1941, he was held in the Bridge House, an infamous dungeon, for 42 days. Talbot's detention by the Japanese created an international incident. 

 The collection includes Talbot’s diaries, printed material, photographs and negatives, correspondence, radio script, official papers, artifacts and other items.  More about this collection.

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