A woman inside a building looking out a window at a busy street scene, covering her face with her arm and holding a large knife in her hand.

Invisible women: how Hong Kong’s colonial criminal justice system treated female suspects

Illustrations for an excerpt from Women, Crime and the Courts: Hong Kong 1841-1941, Patricia O’Sullivan lays out the experiences of two females with the colonial courts

Sketch of a woman standing in front of a whiteboard with the words 'Post Mayoral' and 'to do list two hours'. She is smiling and covering her eyes with her arm, holding a knife in her other hand. There is a desk with a lamp and a drawer, and a large window showing a city street with buildings and pedestrians.

Rough sketch for the Post Magazine.

A woman in a dress is standing near a window, holding a knife in one hand and covering her nose with her other arm, looking suspicious or frightened. A person is lying on the floor with their legs stretched out, wearing high boots. The room appears to be an apartment or house, with a cabinet and a hanging lamp. Outside the window, a bustling street with signs and people is visible.

Final cover illustration.

A rough sketch of a street scene with three people, one wearing a hat and holding an umbrella, walking along narrow buildings. To the right, there is a sign with the text '

Sketch rough layout for the spread page.

Black and white sketch of a busy street scene in an Asian city, with people walking and engaging, tall buildings with signs, laundry hanging, and a bright moon in the sky.
A black and white sketch of a courtroom scene with four women sitting in a row, reading books or papers, wearing traditional dress with hairstyle rolls, with a young girl sitting to their left side, all appearing focused.

Inside ilustrations.

Cover of Post Magazine featuring a black and white illustration of a woman with a bandaged arm holding a knife, standing in a room with a decorative cabinet, looking out a window at a busy street scene in Hong Kong.

Final print version for cover.

Read the excerpt for Women, Crime and the Courts: Hong Kong 1841-1941 by Patricia O’Sullivan

All the illustrations shown on this page are under the copyright of the South China Morning Post.

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