Telok Ayer Street and Thian Hock Keng Temple
Raffles Hotel
Beach Road
Hurricane House
About the book
A comprehensive and evocative photographic record of Singapore from the early 1840s to the early 1900s, Singapore through 19th Century Photographs presents more than 130 rare photographs from leading institutional and private collections. Pairing striking images with lively commentary, the book paints a compelling portrait of 19th century Singapore, focusing on the topographical and architectural landscape of the city and its surrounding environs.
This volume also documents the rapid growth of photography in Southeast Asia during an era of significant transformation. The rise of international trade and the push for immigration led many western photographers to seek their fortunes in the East – a unique set of circumstances that coincided with the arrival of steamships and the opening of the Suez Canal, which, in turn, spurred the growth of tourism. The combination of these propitious conditions set the stage for the intense production of commercial photographs of Singapore.
Capturing this exceptional moment in history, Singapore through 19th Century Photographs records the dynamic development of both photography and Singapore, Southeast Asia’s pre-eminent colonial port-city of the time.
About the author
JASON TOH is a curator with the National Museum of Singapore. An internship at Christie’s Singapore and the Singapore Art Museum in 2000 introduced him to the Singapore arts and heritage industry. He began his career at the museum as an assistant curator in 2004 and has been a curator since 2007. He is responsible for the curation of the permanent galleries that cover Singapore’s colonial history in the Singapore History Gallery and that of the family-focused Photography Gallery. Besides developing Singapore-themed exhibitions and building the museum’s photography collection, he has written articles and lectured on Singapore history and photography in recent years. He read Western Art History and French at Middlebury College in the USA and the University of Paris in France.
Foreword by TOMMY KOH - Chairman - National Heritage Board
There is a Chinese saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, and this volume proves the point. Filled with beautiful and finely wrought images, it also provides the kind of fascinating detail which reminds us that a city is visualised and shaped by human vision, creativity and skill.
Going through these rare and priceless photographs, I was struck by three thoughts.
First, by how much Singapore has changed in the past 100 years. Young Singaporeans have often asked me why the road in front of Raffles Hotel is called Beach Road. The photographs tell us why: when the hotel was built in 1887, it fronted the sea. When I take visitors to visit the Thian Hock Keng Temple that was built in 1822 in Chinatown, I explain that in those times, seafarers from China, upon landing safely in Singapore, would go to the temple to give thanks to Mazu, the patron deity of seafarers. In the early 19th century, the temple was by the sea, but with land reclamation, the sea receded further and further away from the temple.
Second, I have learnt several interesting stories about our history from looking at these photographs. For instance, I have often wondered why my Thai friends say that, notwithstanding the development along Orchard Road, they would never sell the land on which the Thai chancery and residence are located. I now understand why. The property once belonged to a wealthy man, Mr William Scott, after whom Scotts Road is named. He had a grand mansion on his property called Hurricane House. When the young Thai King, Chulalongkorn, visited Singapore in 1871, he decided that he would buy the property for the Thai Embassy. We learn from the book that King Chulalongkorn visited Singapore more than 10 times after 1871, and with he help of the honorary consul for Thailand, Mr Tan Kim Cheng, King Chulalongkorn succeeded in buying Hurricane House and its grounds. It is this history which has made the site of the Thai Embassy so special to the government and people of Thailand. Incidentally, in 1871 King Chulalongkorn gave Singapore a present of a handsome bronze elephant. It stands in the grounds of the Arts House (formerly Parliament House) on High Street.
Third, in spite of the inevitable destruction brought on by modernisation and renewal, I am truly grateful that–thanks to our Preservation of Monuments Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority–so many of our iconic buildings, bridges, churches, temples, mosques, synagogues and monuments, have “lived to tell the tale”, so to speak. All cities change continuously over time, and Singapore is no exception. Against this reality, a city will lose its soul and its people will be disoriented if our built environment is not treasured. And I am gratified that with this volume, so many Singapore’s earliest monuments are seen as they were when they first marked the city’s skyline more than a century ago. At the same time, this book by National Museum curator Jason Toh also showcases many landscapes and views of Singapore which no longer exist, and which help us imagine a Singapore quite different.
Singapore through 19th Century Photographs is a strong companion volume to two earlier words, Singapore: A Pictorial History 1819-2000 by Gretchen Liu, and Singapore 500 Early Postcards by Cheah Jin Seng. Through photographs, postcards and texts, the authors of these works enrich our memory of Singapore, from its founding by Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles to the present.
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Price: S$45.00