The image bears the inscription, “188 Bengalee bread seller” The photographer presents a tableau in which two men of Indian origin dressed in traditional clothing pose with their wares. The piece of cloth on the young man’ s head on the right, suggests that the basket has just been brought down. It is kept open with the man on the right holding a piece of bread for the viewer. Many South Asian migrants in 19th century Singapore took to hawking for a livelihood. These people were often called, sometimes incorrectly, Bengali (or Bengalee) which generally referred to those from Northern India or present-day Uttar Pradesh. It is also suggested that the term could have emerged from the Bengal Light Infantry of which they were members.
