View of the Convict Jail between Bras Basah and Stamford Roads

When the first Indian convicts arrived in Singapore in 1825, they were put up in convict houses between Bras Basah and Stamford Roads, as depicted in this photograph. Despite their criminal background, these convicts were still valued for their labour, which were employed in back-breaking jobs such as quarrying stone, building roads and the construction of bridges and buildings.