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Hair oil used by 'amahs'

Title

Year/Period

1930s

Region

Singapore

Object Type

hair oil

Dimension

Object size: 001: L6.1 x W4.1 x H19.5 cm,
Object size: 002: H17.5 x Diameter of base 5

Accession No.

1999-02979

Collection of

National Museum of Singapore

This bottle of Girl Brand Hair Old (双妹墨生发油, shuangmei mosheng fayou) was one of the few personal 'luxuries' that 'amahs' (domestic servants) possessed. These women from the Pearl River Delta in China were known for their frugal ways, choosing to remit most of their earnings back to their families in China rather than splurging on consumer items.