'Port de Sincapour' (Port of Singapore)

Title
'Port de Sincapour' (Port of Singapore)
Year/Period
1830
Region
Paris
Object Type
Material
Dimension
Image size: 30 x 40.8 cm,
Frame size: H 46.5 x W 55.5 cm Mount Size
Accession No.
2009-01627

This aquatint depicts a sampan at the mouth of the Singapore river in its foreground. On the left of the image is the river's southwest bank, an originally marshy area that was filled with reclaimed land in 1823. One can see the row of steps built for ships to access the quay at high and low tide, as well as several buildings which reflect Raffles’ instructions in the 1822 Town Plan for houses to be built with protected covered walkways in front. This print was etched by Sigismond Himely, after a drawing by François-Edmond Pâris. They were artists aboard French corvette ‘La Favorite’, under the command of Captain Cyrille Laplace, which sailed eastwards around the world between 1830 and 1833. ‘La Favorite’ spent five days in Singapore between 17 and 25 August 1830. This aquatint is one of a pair of 'views' of Singapore, the other being 2009-01626.