Singapore and Southeast Asia album

What story do these photographs and postcards tell of Singapore? One that seems orderly, picturesque, full of promise, even exotic? That’s the point. It’s likely the story the colonial authorities wanted to tell. Produced by G.R. Lambert & Co. studio, these images weren’t just records. They helped shape how the world saw colonial Southeast Asia.

Founded in 1867 by Gustave Richard Lambert, the studio became very successful by the 1890s; so much so that it was appointed official photographer to the King of Siam and the Sultan of Johor. A rare honour at the time. For Southeast Asian royalty, the photographs weren’t only about likeness; they signalled modernity and the growing power of photography itself.

Circulated as picture postcards, these carefully crafted views travelled across oceans, influencing how distant publics imagined the tropics. But that didn’t last. With the outbreak of World War I in 1914, demand faded and the studio closed its doors.

Still, Lambert’s photographs remind us of something enduring: the power of images to sell an idea of a place, long before anyone sets foot there. In time, artists in the region began to respond to these external representations. They offered their own narratives, inspired by the people, places and cultures of the region.