Four photographs of Low Kway Song and his daughter with portrait of Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah

Title
Four photographs of Low Kway Song and his daughter with portrait of Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah
Year/Period
20th century
Region
Singapore or Malaysia
Dimension
Object size: Refer to parts
Accession No.
2018-00235
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Hall of Phoenix and Peony

These photographs show Low Kway Song and his daughter standing beside a portrait of Sultan Ismail Nasirrudin Shah (1907-1979), who was the the fourth Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia and 15th Sultan of Terengganu. Low Kway Song (1889-1982) was a pioneering artist who painted portraits of many prominent personalities in Singapore and Malaysia. He became the first artist to be paid a four-figure fee when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of the magnate Oei Tiong Ham in 1927. Low Kway Song established the first Straits Chinese Methodist Church in Malacca and in 1940 he became the Pastor of the Malacca Straits Chinese Methodist Church, where services were conducted in Baba Malay. Part of an archive which provides a record and glimpse into his personal life and artistic practice, this came from a collection which belonged to Low Kway Song.